Fillmore Mayor Won’t Run Again, Blames Infighting

Fillmore Mayor Gary Creagle has announced he will not run for reelection to the City Council in November, citing pressures stemming from recent claims of sexual harassment filed against the new city manager.

“There is a sad lacking of teamwork on the City Council,” he said this week. “I don’t think council members have to agree with each other all of the time, but they should not work against each other. They should not have hidden agendas.”

Creagle referred to his dispute with Councilman Roger Campbell, who was aware of the harassment complaints but did not disclose them to other council members before interim manager Stan Greene was hired as manager last month.

City Clerk Noreen Withers, accounting clerk Barbara Adams and planning secretary Linda Nash each have filed $500,000 claims against the city of Fillmore and Greene. All three claim Greene had been “inappropriately touching” them, both during his stint as interim manager and after his permanent appointment. A hearing before an administrative-law judge has been set for Aug. 30.

“I’m not going to place myself in that kind of jeopardy anymore,” said Creagle, adding that he fears he may be named in lawsuits against the city.

An ex-Marine who owns a gun shop in Fillmore, Creagle spent 13 years with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. In 1985, he was criticized for supporting a resolution to make English the official language in Fillmore, a community where Hispanics constitute about half the population of 11,000. As a result, he was the target of a recall effort, which proved unsuccessful.

Eight people, including Campbell, have filed for three seats on the council. Withers is running for reelection unchallenged.