_0.jpg)
Holly Blair blasts City Hall, suggests new members attempted political blackmail
Tuesday’s special session had all the appearances of yet another attempt to bring harmony to a partially-fractured council, an elected body that over the past six months has censured one of its own members, and then in 2018’s final council meeting, sat perplexed as that same member referred to her fellow council members as terrible.
The censured council member, Holly Blair, opted out of Tuesday’s special meeting. She was a no-show. The four remaining council members did attend the special study session.
The outspoken and controversial council member, who in the past few months has been the subject of a failed recall effort and a rarely-used censure, appeared on a Wednesday morning podcast, where she talked, virtually uninterrupted, for nearly half an hour about the state of Lemoore government. During the interview, she managed to attack everyone from the former mayor to her fellow council mates, and the Lemoore Police Department and its chief.
During her morning podcast appearance, Blair also implied that the City of Lemoore was awash with corruption, confessing that the two newest members, Chad Billingsley, and Stuart Lyons, offered to end her censure, imposed in August if the Blair would apologize for her behavior. She referred to it as a form of blackmail.
“Both of those men told me, one, they would support getting rid of the censure if I would just apologize for the attacks I received,” said Blair during the podcast. “So, they wanted the victim to apologize, which of course was doubly insulting, not only because I was the one being attacked, but then, somehow, I should be found guilty of somehow apologizing.
“I felt as though they were basically politically blackmailing me because they wanted me to support (Chad) Billingsley for mayor, even though he’s now (mayor) pro tem. I knew that I would go against what I had previously stated, which was that I believe Eddie Neal should be mayor because he had been there the longest.”
Blair said that Neal deserved the mayor’s nod. “He’s really earned it. He was (mayor) pro tem until just recently. Now he’s mayor. I made it known I would nominate him, and then out of courtesy, I asked if I could please be the one to nominate since we had been sitting on the dais together for two years.
“They could not stand that I had a say in the direction our council was going. If I had chosen not to do that, they were going to nominate Chad Billingsley for mayor and completely shut out Eddie.”
Billingsley, when contacted by The Leader, resolutely denied Blair’s charge. “That is untrue.” Nothing even close," he said. “I have never had a conversation with her about the censure.”
Lyons also denied the allegation. “I definitely did not try to blackmail her,” he said, insisting instead that he has tried to work with her. “I’ve made attempts though to work toward a cohesive council.”
An attempt to smooth over relations with Blair went nowhere at 2018’s final council meeting, during which Billingsley and Lyons took the oath of office. When Billingsley, who council members voted in as mayor pro tem, suggested to his fellow elected officials that they begin a “fresh start,” Blair responded, calling the council members “terrible.”
Blair told the podcast’s host that, despite the censure, Lemoore’s electorate is behind her. “Once people heard what was going on, overwhelmingly I was supported,” she claimed. “People want a change. People want somebody who is going to stand up for them and fight for what’s right, and ultimately it comes down to being honest and being transparent, and that’s something I’m all about.
“I come from the generation of millennials that everything is being recorded. All of my posts are public; it’s just how things are now. I think the expectation for elected officials now is to be authentic with people, don’t pretend, don’t hide, don’t lie about who you are or what you represent and see what the people think of that.
“The problem then (is) when you start making or questioning the way things are, the way things have always been, and one of the biggest questions I have had, I started asking questions about police conduct. I started asking questions about why all of a sudden I was being followed, or I was being pulled over.”
Blair was stopped several times by Lemoore police officers. In April 2018, Lemoore’s council members began seriously examining her conduct. Councilmember Dave Brown questioned her social media posts and traffic incidents involving the police. He called out Blair’s implied threats in which she suggests that the Lemoore Police Department is singling her out. “This is conduct unbecoming a council member,” he said.
Lemoore officers reportedly stopped Blair for driving recklessly. The first-term council member said that police pulled her over six times in two months suggesting Lemoore “officers have too much time on their hands.”
Lemoore Chief of Police Darrell Smith told council members that Blair’s allegations were false. “I deal with facts,” he said. “Six times in two months is not factual.” He said that Blair had been stopped three times in nine months, and his officers did not write her any tickets.
Blair was also the subject of a failed recall – one that organizers started with strong expectations – and an August 2018 censure that prohibited her from representing the City at any public functions.
City officials, including council members, created an extensive list of grievances or charges backing up the censure. Allegations included the use of unprofessional, inflammatory, belittling and discourteous language in communications with city employees, residents, and council members and engaging in public personal vendettas against the mayor, the city manager and the police chief by attempting to defame the individuals with unsupported allegations or falsehoods.
Included in the list of grievances was her interruption of a fellow council member while directing a profane remark in his direction.
Council members voted 4-1 to censure Blair.
List of Grievances against Councilmember Blair
Tuesday’s special study session generated comments from council members and the public, many questioning the meeting’s purpose. While Mayor Neal suggested, that Tuesday’s session wasn’t about Blair, many disagreed. The special session, said Neal, was meant to provide enhanced knowledge of the council’s rules and behavior, sort of a refresher for new council members, in particular, newcomers Lyons and Billingsley.
“I called this meeting for a refresher course,” he said. “And as an introduction for new council members. We’re going to go over the rules,” said Neal.
Not all members were convinced. “Is it to just review or to make our meetings better?” asked Councilmember Dave Brown, who seemed confused as to the purpose of the meeting. “I’m having a problem understanding why you called this meeting. We already have the rules established.”
Mayor Pro tem Chad Billingsley, in only his second meeting as a council member, said he was aware of the guidelines. “I read the rules,” he said.
City Manager Nathan Olson suggested the meeting was called to remind residents that the city does have a code of conduct, a document that Blair has so far refused to sign.
During a public comment period, speakers came forward to criticize Blair’s behavior. Tom Reed, a consistent voice at Lemoore council meetings, called for decorum when council members take time out to speak during parts of the meeting that calls for reports and discussion. “There should be no reason for a council member to interrupt other council members,” he said. He suggested the mayor use his gavel to bring order when a member of the council is out of order.
Another speaker suggested that no one enforces consequences. “What are you on the council going to do to stop Holly Blair? She needs to go. She’s out of control.”
While Blair decided not to show up for Tuesday’s study session, instead making an appearance on the podcast, “Hopper in the Morning,” where she expounded on everything from Tuesday night’s study session to what she refers to as corruption in city hall. The host, Kent Hopper, after offering the first question, virtually ceded the floor to Blair for the remainder of the show.
Hopper had little to say other than to ask about corruption in city council politics, suggesting that Lemoore’s citizens should be happy to have somebody like Holly Blair on the council.
Hardly anyone was spared from Blair’s controversial claims, from fellow councilmembers, a past mayor, the Lemoore Police Department, and allegations that Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson has used city funds to investigate her privately.
“The city manager, as oversight, has actually used our taxpayer money to investigate me privately,” Blair told Hopper. “Now it’s out, and I can speak on this, and just for the record, (that) both of these investigations were recorded, and both sides agreed to the recording. So, there’s a recording of everything I’m talking about. They investigated me for tweeting out an idiom. I said I’m here to break up the good old boys’ network. That was actually quoted and put in the Fresno Bee,” she said.
“The City used taxpayer money to investigate me. They called an investigator from Sacramento, and they investigated me for possibly being “ageist” (showing prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age) against a chief of police who is not that much older than me, for using the phrase “good old boys.” He yelled at me in his office (and) yelled at me for using the word feminism.”
She also explained why she didn’t appear at Tuesday’s study session. “We have new council members, (and) even before they sat down (they) try to politically blackmail me, and now they’re keeping the censure. Now, we haven’t even really had a real closed session together. We haven’t had a full-on discussion, and now, yet, not only am I still censured, they have council conduct on the agenda again.
“I’m not going. I’m done with this conversation. I don’t need them to tell me how to act. This is just another dog and pony show, so they can pump up their chests, and that’s what I’m saying. If they’re going to do this to an elected official, what choice do you have? What chance do the people in the community have against this? I (ain’t) putting up with it no more. I’m done.”
