NEWS
Arcata Strips Defiant Watson of Assignments, Limits Access to Staff By Thadeus Greenson
Arcata City Councilmember Brett Watson addresses the sustained findings that he harassed a city employee while the balance of the council listens in silence. Screenshot
thad@northcoastjournal.com
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fter hearing nearly two dozen residents plead with Councilmember Brett Watson to resign in the wake of a scathing investigative report that he abused his power and harassed a city employee, the Arcata City Council passed a series of measures May 17 aimed at protecting city staff, while limiting Watson’s access to City Hall. Watson, meanwhile, struck a defiant tone, stating there is “absolutely zero chance” he will resign from office while arguing that he is innocent of the allegations against him and himself a victim of harassment at the hands of city staff. With Watson on a figurative island, the council passed a series of motions 3-1, with Watson dissenting, to direct staff to pursue a workplace violence restraining order against him, to strip Watson of committee and other council member assignments, to take the steps necessary — including changing key codes — to restrict all council members’ access to city hall and to direct Watson cease communications with city staff outside council meetings, to refrain from any physical
contact with them and to refrain from any personal correspondences. The council briefly discussed bringing back an agenda item to censure — or formally rebuke Watson — at a future meeting, but staff explained such a process would give the council member an opportunity to defend himself, prompting Councilmember Meredith Matthews to say she didn’t want to “give this any more oxygen,” a notion Mayor Stacy Atkins-Salazar and Vice-mayor Sarah Schaefer seemed to support. The council’s actions come on the heels of a third-party investigative report compiled by Kramer Workplace Investigations, which was called in to investigate allegations that Watson had engaged in a prolonged pattern of sexual harassment and using his position of authority to make undue demands of a staff members’ time and attention. The 28-page report, which deemed the allegations “undisputed” and is corroborated by hundreds of pages of supporting text messages and emails between Watson and the employee, sustained findings that Watson engaged in “unprofessional and inappro-
priate conduct,” and “abuse of his power as a city councilmember” over the course of more than two years. (Read more about the report and its findings here.) The investigative report detailed how Watson suffered from mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, while navigating marital problems and the death of his father. The text messages in the document show he increasingly came to depend on the city employee, texting after hours, on weekends and while she was on vacation, and sharing intimate details of his life, from his feelings about his wife and the depths of his depression to changes in medication he was taking. Repeatedly, he asserted she was critical to his mental health and ability to function as a council member, according to the report, which also notes Watson made a custom of demanding long hugs from her. Those who addressed the council on the issue during public comment were unequivocal in stating Watson should resign, with some referencing a statement Watson issued last night asserting that he has never harassed anyone, that his relationship with the employee was consensual,
arguing she “enjoyed” spending time with him, “looked forward to it,” “encouraged it” and even baked him cookies. Resident Jessica Silva (who is also a Journal contributor) said she wanted to come to give Watson a piece of her mind but has come to believe he can’t hear any of us. Instead, she discussed the power dynamic at play between a city employee and one of her five bosses on the council. “Implied consent from baked cookies” is not a thing, Silva said, and “there is no one-size-fits-all response to harassment.” “Compliance within an imbalanced power dynamic is not consent,” Silva said. A group of four city department directors read the council a joint letter, pledging support for the city’s anti-harassment policy, urging the council to “send a strong message” and do what it can to protect employees from harassment. At the conclusion of their comment, Watson charged that one of the directors had faced a harassment complaint “not that long ago,” thanking him for speaking. Former Councilmember Sofia Pereira Continued on next page »
#ncjboh22 northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, May 26, 2022 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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