Is it time that the Lemoore electorate pass its first-ever recall?

And there may even be a recall in the works.

Councilmembers considered the idea recently but decided to drop the matter. Apparently, censure may be back on the table after the council’s latest showdown with Blair. Members Ray Madrigal, Dave Brown, Eddie Neal and Jeff Chedester, at their Tuesday (July 17) meeting, appeared fed up with Blair, notably after she accused City Manager Nathan Olson and Police Chief Darrel Smith of lying to her.

In a July 11 Facebook post, the first-term controversial councilmember criticized one of her fellow councilmembers, Mayor Madrigal, blatantly suggesting that the @OutOfTouchMayor is at it again. Blair said that mayor is obsessed, claiming he “became so jealous that I was invited to a breakfast with a U.S. Senator when he wasn’t.”

Blair shared eggs and oatmeal with a member of the United States Senate, but she didn’t say who the lucky, or unsuspecting senator was. As far as Madrigal’s obsession, there is scant – if any – evidence that the first-term mayor has spent much time obsessing about his fellow councilmember and her breakfast outings.

Turns out Madrigal has no idea what Blair is referring to. The first he heard of Blair’s breakfast summit – and his subsequent non-invitation – was when somebody showed him Blair’s Facebook post.

Blair also posted that “he (Madrigal) and that dumbass blogger (not sure who she’s talking about there) are attempting to disparage my name while I recover from an infection.” Blair, I sincerely hope, is recovering.

Her illness didn’t prevent Blair from reaching for her smartphone, somehow finding the time to criticize the mayor. As to why Blair would so blatantly disparage Madrigal – well that’s anybody’s guess.

In the same post, she issued what appears to be a threat. “Here’s my answer to that: buckle up boys, it’s gonna be a loooooooong road to November, and I have a few surprises in store for y’all. I wouldn’t be this cocky if I wasn’t absolutely sure that y’all are going down. #ComeAtMeBro #FirstBlood #Leggo Muah!

I consulted my dictionary for the meaning of Muah. It’s either slang for an air kiss, or it's just Blair gagging on her own words.

Madrigal reacted initially with surprise. “I don’t have a clue what she’s talking about.” He said that if there was a “breakfast” with a U.S. Senator, he didn’t know about it and didn’t care.

Blair has a history of posting awkward, if not questionable, messages. In recent months, Blair’s fellow councilmembers have chastised her for her behavior, which included various controversial posts. To add insult to injury, Blair has refused to sign the city’s Code of Conduct, a recently approved decree approved by councilmembers.

On Monday night Blair posted the following:

Madrigal is up for re-election in 2018, and from our perspective, having Holly Blair walking precincts while trashing the mayor, will only embarrass her, and the city of Lemoore. Madrigal, a Lemoore High School grad and a 30-year member of the California Highway Patrol, who retired as a commander. He is an honest, hardworking gentleman with an impressive resume to match.  

Blair’s recent history includes the posting of false, profane, and misleading comments. In a memorable series of text messages with Lemoore Chief of Police Darrell Smith, Blair claimed that Smith’s officers stopped her “six” times in two months. Yes, Lemoore officers have indeed stopped Blair reportedly for reckless driving, but according to Smith, it was just three times in nine months.

And she was never ticketed.

The California Highway Patrol completed a traffic accident report stating that Blair initially tried to place the blame for an Oct. 24 accident at the intersection of 19th Avenue and Bush Street on the other driver. Blair initially insisted that she had a green light and the right-of-way when in fact video evidence and eyewitness accounts proved otherwise. The CHP found her at fault.

And in one of her more absurd rants, Blair repeatedly accused the editor of the local “blog” The Leader of harassing her.  Placing her social media presence into overtime, Blair posted messages insisting that she had repeatedly asked me to stop calling or emailing her. The truth? In the last year, I’ve probably called her twice. She claimed that I was a “threat” to her children and that she would seek a restraining order against me.

I call lots of people. That’s a big part of my job.

In April, Lemoore’s councilmembers, in a dramatic meeting, accused the first-term Blair of conduct “unbecoming a Lemoore councilmember.” Councilmember Dave Brown pushed to censure Blair for a plethora of actions and social media posts that he said shed a damaging light on the city.

“I don’t condone her actions,” said Brown when contacted by The Leader this week. “I don’t condone any councilmember talking to anybody that way. Our city doesn’t need this.”

He added that the city has plenty of work to do and shouldn’t have to keep responding to Blair. “We have to work together as a team.”

Councilmember Eddie Neal declined to comment other to say, “We have bigger fish to fry. I want to keep (this) on a positive note.”

The target of the most recent rant, Madrigal, while chagrined by Blair’s false post said such utterances don’t belong in the council’s discourse. “I don’t think that this type of posting in social media is appropriate for city council members,” he said. “Social media is so one-sided, and without context, it could lead some people to believe that it is true.

“I think that it is just so inappropriate for a councilmember to come out in that manner against another councilmember. I understand disagreements, differences of opinion, but that, I think, goes beyond accepted practices among councilmembers.”

Madrigal adds that he believes Blair’s behavior continues to be a distraction for councilmembers. “There are more important things for us to be talking about.”

Perhaps Blair is right. Walking precincts in the next election may indeed bear fruit. But its Blair’s constituents that might soon be pounding the pavement to recall her. Chief Smith, in his angry response to Blair Tuesday night, suggested Lemoore’s citizens might mount a recall effort.