By Donna Westfall – April 2, 2019 –
Around a quarter to eight last night, April 1st… and this is no April’s Fools Day joke; former Crescent City Councilwoman, Kathryn Murray was arrested by our local police for “RP REPORTS INTOXICATED FEMALE SUBJECT TRYING TO DRIVE AWAY FROM SAFEWAY AFTER TRYING TO BUY MORE ALCOHOL.”
Rumblings of Ms. Murray running for 1st District Supervisor in 2020 bring to mind this question, how is it possible that a person who thinks it was okay to drive a car while drunk, risking the lives of everyone else on the road, has the judgment required to hold public office?
Apparently, when there are few choices or no one wants to run for office, she may indeed be elected. Heavens to Murgatroyd!
In my opinion, she was no picnic to work with. Matter-of-fact, I couldn’t work with her. She was closed minded about fluoride citing her own personal experience that fluoride was great as though that was empirical evidence. Also, closed minded that there was even a whiff of fraud, corruption or collusion regarding the many allegations and charges I brought forth as she continued to rubber stamp payments for the wasterwater treatment plant upgrade/expansion (WWTP). As Mayor, she had no problem turing off the microphone on public commenters if it wasn’t something she wanted to hear. And, finally, she was one of the group spearheading my censorship in order to shut me up about more allegations and my personal investigations about the WWTP.
The laws are changing in California. Sometime in 2019, the state will require an ignition interlock device, or IID, be installed in their cars for those who are repeat offenders. Since 2010, Sacramento County has been one of four counties in the state to require the installation of the breath machine. Now, for drunken drivers who cause injury and second-time DUIs, SB 1046 will expand that to all 58 counties.
While an IID solves one problem, it doesn’t solve the root cause which is, why is she continuing to get drunk?
It is sad to see that Kathryn go down this road. Regardless of a conviction for DUI, I hope she seeks help. I was all of about 8 years old when she was my social worker. My mom was struggling to keep food in the house for me and my brother and Kathryn, without the knowledge of her superior at Social Services, spend a fair amount of her own money back in 1988-89 to buy us groceries to keep us boys fed. She didn’t want to see us taken away by CPS staff and knew my mom really was trying hard to provide. She used to be a very good and nice person, decades ago. I can only guess politics, corruption at Social Services in local city government, and the power over she’s had over the people really changed her. Perhaps it’s partly alcohol related, but that is almost certainly a symptom, not the root cause.
Sadly, Kathryn has turned into a not very nice person over the years. In once instance, I remember when she, in her official capacity of city council person, cut off the microphone to someone concerned about the water safety in Crescent City and then asked CCPD to escort this person out. Corruption at its finest. When a meeting was scheduled at Kathryn’s office to discuss this, Katheryn stood up the constitution. What was she hiding, anyway?
Anyone who violates the first amendment right of another, especially under the color of authority in my personal opinion is un-American and needs to step down from that position they hold or otherwise be held accountable for this in an appropriate manner.
I really do hope she seeks help. But I also wish to see her, like others, including Fornoff and other accused DUI offenders, held accountable for their actions. It is only right, just and fair to go through the motions, then into recovery. At 65, she knows better than to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence. If she is not held accountable and this is not taken seriously, she may indeed kill someone.