Politics & Government

Hercules City Council Bickering Escalates

Hercules Councilwoman Myrna de Vera responds to a Contra Costa Times article about discord between her and Hercules Mayor Dan Romero.

In response to a Contra Costa Times article about an ongoing "feud" between Mayor Dan Romero and Councilwoman Myrna de Vera, de Vera submitted the following statement to Patch:

Tom Lochner has consistently written balanced articles, so I was surprised to read his article, “Council in Tension.”

For the record, I didn’t want to continue as mayor, as Lochner suggested. I wanted the council to appoint a good mayor, the right way.

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Lochner wrote some facts but omitted others. One key omission is how Romero used residents as intermediaries to lobby council members for his mayoral appointment, a Brown Act violation.

He didn’t mention that Romero’s grudge started during the Recall. Our clash isn’t largely personal, but has continued due to fundamentally opposing governing philosophies.

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Lochner didn’t write about how I’ve been fighting to keep the city’s smart planning vision. How I’ve argued against the sales of city properties to residential instead of retail developers. How I’ve opposed Romero’s attempts to deny citizens their right to speak. How I’ve fought to include residents in council decisions through town hall meetings and citizen advisory committees. How I advocated for ethics reform.

I’m standing up for what’s right. It's my job, my promise to my constituents.

 


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