EDITORIAL
Why Brett Watson Needs to Resign By Thadeus Greenson thad@northcoastjournal.com
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f Arcata City Councilmember Brett Watson cares about his city, he needs to resign. Immediately. The third-party investigative report sustaining allegations that Watson engaged in the prolonged harassment of a city employee and abused his authority is damning. But even more damning are the hundreds of pages of emails and texts included with the report, which combine to paint a thorough picture of Watson as a man entirely unfit to hold public office. And perhaps most damning of all was Watson’s conduct at Arcata’s May 17 council meeting, at which he appeared defiant, remorseless and oblivious.
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While there are myriad of issues at play here, four are paramount. First, Arcata employees — like all employees and especially those who work in the public sector on our behalf — deserve a safe work space free of harassment. Full stop. They do not deserve to navigate their boss’ temper tantrums and romantic overtures, nor fulfill their need for hugs. They should be able to leave work at work, and definitely should not be expected to spend countless hours on nights and weekends and vacations helping a boss through the emotional wreckage of their personal life. After roughly two years of Watson obliterating the boundaries between personal and
NORTH COAST JOURNAL • Thursday, June 2, 2022 • northcoastjournal.com
professional life, the only way to make city hall a hospitable — and fully productive — work environment is for him not to be there. Second, it’s painfully clear some very real mental health issues are foundational to Watson’s troublesome conduct. We are sympathetic to his battle with depression and anxiety, and truly hope he gets the help he needs to avoid further harm to the people around him and to achieve some sense of contentment. But public office is no place to work through such entrenched issues, as one needs to be on firm footing before taking on the problems of an entire community. Third, Watson’s conduct reveals a contempt for democracy, his role and his constituents. The report and supporting documents include instances of Watson trampling state open meeting laws, dismissing the will and input of his fellow councilmembers, and urging at least one city employee to “break the rules” and violate the trust of other councilmembers. Even if one ignores the very real, documented campaign of harassment, Watson’s apparent contempt for dem-
ocratic governance and thirst for power are disqualifying enough. This is not the conduct of a man who belongs in public office and his behavior at the council meeting showed equal disregard for his constituents. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, Watson’s conduct at Tuesday’s meeting showed him to be someone with a complete obliviousness or indifference to power dynamics; such a person simply cannot hold a position of power. Speaking in his own defense, Watson sought to discredit the employee he harassed and the investigation by insisting his prolonged relationship with her was consensual. In an effort to make his case, he told his fellow councilmembers the employee had made him cookies, and pointed to a dozen or so text messages the employee sent him, in which she says flattering things — “You’ll be a great mentor,” “You mean a lot to me, too,” “Look forward to talking tomorrow.” Watson was insistent that these moments proved the entirety of their relationship was consensual and mutual, unaffected by their respective positions. Of course, you can’t look at
