_0.jpg)
Lemoore City Council votes 4-1 to censure first-term Councilmember Holly Blair
It was at the August 7 regular meeting that four of the five members decided to begin the censure process, which concluded Tuesday night when Councilmember Dave Brown made the motion to censure, quickly followed by Councilmember Jeff Chedester’s second. Applause erupted when Mayor Madrigal tallied the fourth “aye” vote.
According to the City of Lemoore Council Rules and Procedures, the council is allowed by law to censure one of its own for what a staff report labeled as engaging in conduct unbecoming a council member, potential liability exposure and loss of trust and confidence by other council members. The censure “admonishes" Blair to cease engaging in such conduct of similar conduct in the future, so that the Council may “regain trust and confidence in her going forward."
Censure is an inherent power of a legislative body to express its opinion on the conduct of one of its members allowing a legislative council to disapprove of his or her behavior publicly.
Tuesday’s vote to censure also removes Blair from any committee or board she sits on in her capacity as a council member and bans her from representing the City and the Council at public functions in any official role. She currently sits on the Cross Valley Rail Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the Kings County Emergency Shelter and Food Committee, and the Lemoore City Manager's Committee. She is an alternate on several committees, including Indian Gaming Local Benefit Committee, Kings Community Action Organization, the Oversight Board for the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency, and the League of California Cities.
There was very little public input at Tuesday’s censure hearing. Connie Wlaschin, a frequent speaker, seemed to sum up the thoughts of many in the auditorium. “This is really hard for me,” she said. “Her actions have brought embarrassment to the city.”
Wlaschin added: “She is not a victim.”
It was at the August 7 meeting that councilmembers ordered city attorney to create a resolution, citing grievances backing up a claim for censure. Council members delivered their complaints to the city’s attorney Jenell Van Bindsbergen, who in turn used them as a foundation for a censure resolution.
View the list of complaints in the resolution
Currently, Blair is also the subject of a recall effort. Several council members also asked Blair to resign, which she refused to do. It was at the council’s July 17 meeting that Blair accused Lemoore Chief of Police Darrell Smith and Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson of lying to her and demanded an independent investigation.
Blair had an opportunity to respond to the censure. She read from a prepared statement in which she once again reiterated the claim that her vote against Lemoore Police Chief Darrell Smith’s choice for city manager Nathan Olson, prompted a series of negative interactions with the Lemoore Police Department. Blair said that after her vote police pulled her over “numerous times for trivial, and sometimes non-existent, offenses.
Councilmember Blair’s full statement
She repeated her call for an independent investigation into her experience with local law enforcement. She also said that she was subjected to a constant barrage of online harassment and bullying. “This bullying has included racist, and misogynistic attacks, and has even included attacks on my husband and our five young children,”
She was defiant in her statement to the end. “I will not resign, and I will not be bullied or intimidated into silence. I look forward to being censured by this council. I will wear it as a badge of honor. I will frame it and put it on my wall, for I know that I am advocating for the entire community of Lemoore, and not just for a select few.”
Council members were quick but brief in their responses. “When you make false accusations, that’s wrong,” said Eddie Neal speaking specifically of her comments about the police.
“We’ve done all we could. The rest is up to you guys,” said Chedester referring to an ongoing recall effort.
Dave Brown echoed remarks from previous meetings. “I stand behind what I’ve been saying since day one.”
Mayor Madrigal was to the point. “Let the record speak for itself. You understand what’s going on here,” he said. “I’ll let her actions speak for themselves.”
