Following oaths of office for re-elected members, Antioch Council to consider hiring their own secretaries
Without a vote Mayor Thorpe to give Key to the City to fast food worker who was blinded during November attack; Torres-Walker expected to be next mayor pro tem
By Allen D. Payton
During tonight’s Antioch City Council meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, re-elected Councilwomen Monica Wilson and Tamisha Torres-Walker will be given their oaths of office after the council confirms the election results. The District 1 councilwoman is expected to be appointed the city’s mayor pro tem for the next year. Earlier in the meeting, for the first time, the council will consider hiring three part-time secretaries for the five part-time policy makers, one for the mayor and two for the other four other council members.
Before the meeting, at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Lamar Thorpe will be presenting a Key to the City to Bianca Palomera “In recognition of a courageous, selfless and extraordinary act of heroism”. She is the employee of The Habit Burger restaurant who was hit in the face and blinded in one eye while defending a special needs patron from being bullied by another patron who has since been arrested and charged with mayhem and aggravated assault. (See related article)
However, no council vote was taken to approve the issuing of the Key to the City and neither current Mayor Pro Tem Mike Barbanica nor District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock were aware of Thorpe’s plans as of last Friday.
District 1 Ballot Recount Begins
The actions of the council to confirm the election results and administer the oath of office to Torres-Walker will have no effect on the recount of the ballots in the District 1 race that began, today on behalf of Joy Motts who lost to the councilwoman by just three votes. Should it result in the election being overturned, the incumbent will step down and Motts be sworn in.
Public Comments
Members of the public who wish to speak during general Public Comments or on an agenda item may do so in one of the following ways (#2 pertains to the Zoom Webinar Platform):
- IN PERSON: Fill out a Speaker Request Form, available near the entrance doors, and place in the Speaker Card Tray near the City Clerk before the City Council Meeting begins.
- VIRTUAL: To provide oral public comments during the meeting, please click the following link to register in advance to access the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://www.antiochca.gov/speakers You will be asked to enter an email address and a name. Your email address will not be disclosed to the public. After registering, you will receive an email with instructions on how to connect to the meeting. When the Mayor announces public comments, click the “raise hand” feature in Zoom. For instructions on using the “raise hand” feature in Zoom, visit: https://www.antiochca.gov/raise_hand. When calling into the meeting using the Zoom Webinar telephone number, press *9 on your telephone keypad to raise your hand . Please ensure your Zoom client is updated so staff can enable your microphone when it is your turn to speak. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When you are called to speak, please limit your comments to the time allotted (350 words, up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor). The City cannot guarantee that its network and/or the site will be uninterrupted.
- WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT: If you wish to provide a written public comment, you may do so in one of the following ways by 3:00 p.m. the day of the City Council Meeting: (1) Fill out an online speaker card, located at https://www.antiochca.gov/speaker_card, Or, (2) cityclerk@ci.antioch.ca.us. Written public comments received by 3:00 p.m. the day of the City Council Meeting will be shared with the City Council before the meeting, entered into the public record, retained on file by the City Clerk s Office, and available to the public upon request. Written public comments will not be read during the City Council Meeting.
The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 200 W. Third Street and can be viewed on Comcast channel 24, AT&T U-verse channel 99, or via live stream on the city’s website.
the attachments to this post:
Key to City to Bianca Palomera
