Gadfly Places Mayor Under Citizen’s Arrest

Ventura Mayor Richard Francis was arrested after the City Council’s most persistent gadfly complained to police that the mayor refused to let him address the council at a public meeting.

Ventura police arrested Francis in council chambers Monday and then immediately released him after Carroll Dean Williams placed the mayor under citizen’s arrest after an argument during the council meeting.

It was not the first time that Williams, who frequently attends council meetings, has placed city officials under arrest.

Last year, Williams placed City Manager John Baker under citizen’s arrest after a shoving match in Baker’s office. The district attorney’s office declined to press charges against Baker.

Williams also arrested the former mayor, John Sullard, six or seven years ago during a City Council meeting, Baker said.

Monday’s incident has left city officials wondering what can be done to prevent similar incidents.

“I don’t know what to do about it,” Baker said Tuesday when asked about Williams’ record of placing city officials under citizen’s arrests. “This problem goes back a long time, and I don’t have any solutions.”

Monday’s arrest followed an angry exchange between the mayor and Williams, who had requested to speak during the oral communications portion of the council meeting. It is the council’s longstanding policy to allow speakers to address the council once a month before the regular agenda and the rest of month after the council deliberates.

Monday, Williams asked to speak, but Francis denied the request, saying he believed Williams had addressed the council for five minutes during oral communications the previous week. He then invited Williams to make his presentation just before the end of the meeting.

But Francis was apparently mistaken because Williams had spoken at the June 4 meeting on agenda items, but not during oral communications, City Clerk Barbara Kam said Tuesday. “It’s irrelevant to me if I was wrong because I had made a ruling,” Francis said Tuesday, pointing out that he had not violated the City Charter because he invited Williams to speak later.

Williams--a tall, muscular man who has recently started carrying a video camera to council meetings and filming the responses he receives from public officials--roared at Francis that he was wrong about his mistaken assumption and demanded the floor.

A heated discussion ensued during which Williams threatened to arrest the mayor. Francis, his face quickly turning red, whispered angrily into the microphone: “You know where to find me.”

After Francis asked that the public speakers’ microphone be turned off, Williams placed Francis under citizen’s arrest and asked Police Chief Richard Thomas--who was present for budget deliberations--to arrest Francis for denying Williams the right to address the council.

As the council moved on to its next agenda item, Williams stormed out of the council chambers and never returned. Tuesday, he did not return phone calls to his sisters’ Ventura home, where he lives.

After the meeting, Francis was invited into the council’s chambers and arrested by Cpl. David Williams, who had been called in by Thomas. Williams said Francis was immediately released pending an investigation of the charges.

Francis, who is a lawyer, said he has considered suing Williams for false arrest but is inclined to let the incident blow over. “I don’t plan to dignify Williams by reacting,” he said. “Besides, the courts have more serious matters to deal with.”