In a rather bizarre and pointless letter to Attorney Michael Rains Friday, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe rambled on about how he doesn’t get paid to serve as mayor.
Thorpe claimed in his letter (see below), “One of the key differences between you and me. I do not get paid to serve as mayor. I serve because I love my community and I will always fight to ensure that the residents of my city are able to live in a city where they can prosper, and not feel marginalized by the very institutions their tax dollars uphold.”
This is completely false and laughable.
According to Transparent California, Thorpe made $33,395 in 2021 and in 2022 he made $27,545. Even worse, the Antioch City Council in January discussed a pay increase that would have taken them from a $1,600 a month stipend to $1,852–this also does not include their medical, cell phone and vehicle allowances.
“I am for increasing salaries because it’s not a volunteer opportunity. This is work we do on behalf of the public; this is very important work,” said Thorpe at the meeting.
Who is Lamar Thorpe trying to fool anyway? On one hand he doesn’t care about a response by Rains, only to post his letter publicly on social media. Seeking attention much Mr. Thorpe?
For those unaware, Rains represents Antioch Police Officers Association and has been very vocal on the leadership at the city of Antioch.
In the KTVU interview after Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford announced retirement, Rains stated, “this department is in turmoil and he is the one who could have brought them out of turmoil. Its going to be hard to find someone to do that now,” said Rains but noted Ford clashed with the mayor and other city leaders. “These important decision import things that any police chief should be making, having been taken away from him, I think he finally got tired of not being able to make good decision to guide both the investigation and the department he wanted to do.”
Rains is right and anyone paying attention knows Chief Ford and Thorpe had a falling out, just as Thorpe did with city manager Cornelius Johnson, former Chief Tammany Brooks, to former public works director John Samuelson.
Did people forget it was Thorpe who attempted to muzzle the police department multiple times since becoming mayor? That Thorpe and Rolando Bonilla (no longer with the city) concocted a statement on behalf of Ford released to the media before it was retracted because Ford never said it. A complete embarrassment!
You don’t have close to 90 vacant positions in a city if leadership were not a problem. But it is and nearly everyone I’ve spoken to since leaving or resigning from the City of Antioch have all said the same thing, its a city council problem, not a city of Antioch problem.
I’ve asked dozens of cops if they would transfer to Antioch because there is great opportunity to promote quickly, have a great salary, and make a difference. I am met with dismissal quickly followed by laughs. They don’t want to work under this city council and have basically said Antioch has lowered the hiring standards.
I’ll say it again, no one wants a bad cop working on the force. No one wants a cop who potentially targets an individual based on their gender, color of their skin, race, sexual preference, religious preference or any other reason that is not legal. However, Antioch Police officers mixed up in the text messaging scandal deserve due process–just as any person. And lets not forget, we don’t have to like what was said, but they still have first amendment rights to say it.
Rains is ensuring due process for his clients, as he should. End of story. Rains is no different than a criminal defense attorney representing murders, violent crimes, robbery suspects or any other person charged with a crime.
To attack Rains for defending a client is laughable given Thorpe wanting the officers fired without due process. It is hypocritical given Thorpe himself was entitled to due process for his DUI arrest by the California Highway Patrol which dragged on longer than it should and while he went through sexual harassment settlement. Apparently, he can be entitled to due process, but he believes the Antioch Police officers apparently should not get the same rights allowed to them.
I am a firm believer the justice system will work through the process in a legal way and officers will be dealt with appropriately, but that takes time–some will be indicted, some will be fired, some will get disciplined and some will be found not actually involved once the context and text time stamps are released.
It would behoove Mayor Lamar Thorpe to simply pipe down for now, stop looking like a fool, and let the process play out versus continuing to mislead the public and stir people up.
Regardless of what Thorpe does to deflect away from his failed leadership by pointing at the Antioch Police Department every chance he can, the public should understand that in the police department, there are men and women who are not involved in the text scandal who have continued to work and show up each day with the drama continuing to unfold. There are folks in other departments who are picking up the slack from all the vacancies. These employees should all be supported and applauded for what they have had to deal with under this city council.
Who should not be supported is Mayor Lamar Thorpe who continues to be a very public hypocrite and proven liar, especially now that he is claiming he doesn’t get paid to be mayor.
The 2024 election cannot come soon enough for residents to Antioch to bring some integrity back to the city council and the mayors seat. It’s going to be a long 15-months until he is voted out of office.
Here is Thorpe’s Letter:
Mike Burkholder
Publisher of ContraCosta.news
[email protected]
17 comments
You hit on two points. Thorpe is a liar and transparent California proves it. The second, men and women keep showing up for work and taking cheap shots from all over the world. Lets not forget either of those.
Oh Lamar. you are such an idiot. Of course an attorney gets paid. Just as defense attorney’s get paid to protect murders. Just like the beloved Ellen McDonnel makes $281,794.36 to defend criminals.
Thorpe is a loud mouth hypocrite for sure. He runs to social media and the press to lob comments that always lack accountability, yet he doesn’t ever address the ills and problems of Antioch on his page or openly to its citizens. It’s flowers and candy or nothing at all. He’s serving as mayor to a few people, those blinded by his attempt to look polished and in control of all things when really he’s in control of nothing, not even himself. He doesn’t want to hear from anyone except his cheer leading squad and ensures that he doesn’t by not allowing any comments on his Facebook page. Guess he doesn’t want a wake up call or to read about just how many citizens are dissatisfied with the direction he’s taken this city. Antioch had better wake up and come out from the shadows. Thorpe is hell bent on fixing problems that don’t exist, that don’t increase safety, that don’t address crime, that don’t ensure our city government is motivated and adequately staffed and effectively run, and that don’t address the quality of life in Antioch. He instead wants Antioch to be a social experiment, inviting everyone to come one and all so he can help them with our tax dollar feel less marginalized at the expense of other very important issues that scream for attention. I hope we have a city left by the time he’s done with his antics. He still has a match in one hand and gas can in the other, in effect continuing to burn everything down to advance his small irrational agenda.
Our Feckless mayor is full of himself and SCAT. The time for his Nepoleonic leadership style has come and gone. Time to RESIGN and let Antioch heal and regain a positive image. Antioch cannot begin to recover until you are gone. PERIOD!
Well, Lamar puts his foot in his mouth every time he opens it. He’s been unusually quiet over the past few weeks so it was only a matter of time before he said another stupid thing. As you point out, most of his “letters” aren’t really directed at the addressee – they are political posturing.
Chief Ford is maintaining a diplomatic silence about his departure but its not hard to figure out that no chief can set APD right given the current political interference from the mayor and council.
What happens when a legend in his own mind is elected to a post vastly above their level of maturity.
You are incorrect sir! Those racist cops do not have a right to say those racist words and to commit criminal acts by planting or falsifying statements against black residents especially while they are being paid by tax payer dollars.
I bet you would sing a different song of you or your loved one was arrested by police that spoke of targeting them based on their color.
It is two different things. 1st Amendment protects anyone’s right to say something which we don’t have to agree with–I certainly don’t like those text messages. As far as commit criminal acts or planting/falsifying statements, that is something else completely and the investigation will determine what happens next.
Maybe he was drunk when he wrote this letter! What an idiot… glad I no longer live in Antioch!!
None of the amendments allow exceptions to the law, or allow the freedom to violate any law. Just because we have a right to free speech does not allow the legal right for someone to yell “fire” in a crowded theater. Law enforcement is bound to new laws and policies that make it a crime, and usually a violation of policy to text racially biased text messages. They are no more protected by the first amendment for their criminal activity than a jailed inmate is protected by the fourth amendment against strip searches.
Mr. Burkholder I challenge you and any of your hillbilly followers to a public debate debate on the matter. Because it is the archaic hate and fear induced thinking of you lessor educated folks that have allowed government abuse of power to become such a problem. I realize you people are capable thinkers and have the best intentions, but your ignorance on the more complex issues shocks the conscience and an improperly informed public exposes all of us to great danger and even influences the fairness of those government investigations.
With all due respect, the entire context has not been released nor has any charges been filed. Until then, its all speculation and political rhetoric. Still does not dismiss 1st amendment. Now, if they took 1st amendment and actually did actions with it that broke the law, that is another story. Which is what the FBI/DOJ/DA investigation will find out. Until then, its all speculation. Again, people are confusing 1st amendment vs. actions that break any laws–time will tell.
I keep asking the question, why hasn’t a petition to recall idiot Thorpe not been produced?
Recall has been tried and failed.
All it did was convince him he has more power. It was an ego boost
Mayor Thorpe is doing a good job fighting white supremacy, not one mention about Police corruption this is clearly a bias media this is a Willie lynch theory, turning black against black don’t believe anything this Hitler reporter has reported
Actually, he is doing nothing to bring people together, thus he has failed to achieve anything of substance. But hey, keep up with that false rhetoric of blaming others for reporting what is actually going on.
People are intelligent enough to arrive at conclusions about Thorpe based on listening and observation. That’s what reasonable, thinking adults do. Perhaps if you remove your blinders you’ll see that the dissatisfaction citizens express has everything to do with what he’s demonstrated, not some mythical plight conjured up by those who don’t want to hold him accountable.
Thorpe’s days are numbered. He’s clearly incapable of turning this city around, and we need someone who is respected and competent. Some citizens in this city only voted for him because of his skin color, which is clearly racist. He needs to stop telling everyone that he’s UNPAID. That’s just another one of his lies.
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