Op-Ed: Antioch councilwoman calls for mayor’s resignation for DUI, disrespecting residents, more
Ogorchock doesn’t believe he only had one drink, says apology insincere; claims two women from previous job filed sexual harassment complaints against him; if Thorpe won’t resign, she will work to support his recall
Publisher’s Note: The views contained in this opinion are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Herald, it’s staff or publisher.
Dear Editor:
Due to this weekend’s lack of control and poor decision making on the part of Mayor Lamar Thorpe, I feel duty bound to share my thoughts, not only concerning Lamar’s driving while intoxicated but the lack of respect he shows to the residents of Antioch.
First, our mayor has taken to using ad-hominem, bigoted and misogynistic terms to attack his constituents rather than provide a rebuttal of his position. His title for his campaign is, “Stop, the #Karen Recall of Mayor Lamar Thorpe.”
Dictionary.com defines “Karen” as “a pejorative slang term for an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people’s behaviors. In 2020 Karen spread as a label used to call out white women who were captured in viral videos engaging in what are widely seen as racist attacks. The mayor has chosen on two different occasions to refer to me as a “Karen”.
To call a woman today a “Karen” is to evoke an image of white privilege that in no way represents the life struggles millions of women endured to achieve equality, respect, and representation.
Second, Mayor Thorpe chose to drink and get behind the wheel of his vehicle, while intoxicated. He not only endangered himself but others. He stated he is sorry for his actions, well how sorry is he truly? He wants us to believe he had only “a drink” with dinner. We all know this is a fallacy. So, to me his apology is far from being sincere.
Third, it has been brought to my attention that two women have filed a sexual harassment complaint against Mayor Thorpe. The complaint has been filed with the former Los Medanos Community Healthcare District, City of Antioch, and State of California. And yes, I personally verified the facts prior to sharing this repulsive information.
We need to make a change in our leadership, and we need to do it quickly. Mr. Thorpe needs to step down as the mayor of our beautiful city. If he so chooses not to, I will put all my energy into the success of the campaign to recall him as mayor. Antioch citizens deserve better, do the right thing Mayor Thorpe and step down immediately!
Lori Ogorchock
Antioch City Councilwoman, District 3
