tool name

Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2009

Atwater city councilman Gary Frago gets an earful from angry constituents

ATWATER -- Gary Frago, the Atwater city councilman who sent a series of racist e-mails to city staff and others in late 2008 and early 2009, faced a chorus of outrage on Monday evening as protesters and angry citizens lambasted him at a special council meeting in Atwater's community center

The more than 250 people filling the auditorium included local activists, who picketed outside of the city hall and then marched down Bellevue Avenue, members of the local chapter of the NAACP and residents from across Merced County.

While the City Council voted only to issue Frago a letter of disapproval, the majority of speakers at the heated special meeting asked for Frago's resignation.

But Frago was not without supporters who accepted his apology and said he was not a racist -- just a man who made a mistake.

Tensions were high.

In anticipation of a raucous gathering, Mayor Joan Faul said to the crowd, "Please, no catcalls or anything like that."

Frago read a brief statement of apology. "I have made a mistake, I should have known better," he said in part of the statement.

Most of the speakers at the gathering did not accept his apology and asked for his resignation.

Shirley Vaughn-Hulbert, a 17-year Atwater resident who now lives in Merced, called for Frago's recall. "What kind of models are we setting for our children?" she asked Frago.

The president of Merced's NAACP chapter, Napoleon Washington, echoed the group's sentiment, condemning Frago's actions and calling for his resignation.

Joe Fontella Jr. said the whole episode had disappointed him. He expected the City Council to stand for higher principles and its failure to act quickly and decisively had not done that. "I want you to be leaders and I don't think that's happening," he said.

Others showed a personal and emotional reaction to the e-mails.

Mary Jones, a Merced resident, said that when she read the Sun-Star's story about Frago's e-mails she was in shock.

"I was frozen where I was standing. You wounded me that morning when I opened that paper," she said to Frago.

In all, 25 people spoke against Frago's actions.

While Frago supporters were less in number, they were a vocal minority.

Todd White, of Atwater, said he accepted Frago's apology and asked him to stay in office despite all the calls for his resignation.

"Please do not resign," he said. He said that everyone in the room was an American and the sooner people left behind their divisive hyphenated identities, the better.

Barbara Riis-Christensen said that the e-mails had been blown out of proportion. "Let's not allow the protesters to manipulate our fears," she said.

Jack Lancaster, one of the eight people who spoke in support of Frago, said he accepted the man's apology. "Gary Frago I forgive you," he said. "Gary Frago is a wonderful person."

After listening to more than 40 people speak, the council voted unanimously to write a letter of disapproval for Frago's actions.

Aside from that the council disagreed on how the issue was handled.

Councilman Nelson Crabb, who apologized for the e-mails even though he did not send or receive any, said he had to fight other council members just to make sure the meeting was held in the community center where it could accommodate the large crowd.

Councilmen Joe Rivero and Jeff Rivero, who had until Monday night been silent on the matter, publicly stated their disapproval of the e-mails.

Jeff Rivero said that the e-mails were wrong, but he also attacked Faul for sending out a letter condemning Fargo's e-mails without consulting the other council members. "I am not running to the press," he said, adding that he would have like to send a press release from the council instead of positions from individual members.

His brother Joe Rivero also mentioned that the e-mails were wrong. But he added that the Sun-Star had acted irresponsibly when the paper published the jokes sent by Frago.

The City Council also decided to hand over additional e-mails requested by the Sun-Star.

A Sun-Star story on July 17 revealed that Frago sent at least seven racist e-mails to city and county officials from October 2008 to February 2009. The e-mails denigrated President Obama and the first lady and black people in general.

While Frago has apologized, at first he said he did not regret sending the e-mails. "I don't see where there's a story, I'm not the only one that does it," he told the Sun-Star in a story July 21. "I didn't originate them, they came to me and I just passed them on."

Reporter Jonah Owen Lamb can be reached at (209) 385-2484 or jlamb@mercedsun-star.com.

Dozens call for Frago to resign at Atwater City Council meeting:

Frago apologizes for sending e-mails