Berkeley Town Councilmember Rigel Robinson resigned his seat in a remark Tuesday, a call he attributed to escalating harassment, burn out from perpetual pressure and a want to prioritize his folk.
Hour the announcement from one of the vital East Bay’s youngest politicos got here as a trauma for lots of within the patch, the verdict is one the 27-year-old were “wrestling with for a long time,” particularly as tensions have flared across the controversial student housing project underway at People’s Park.
He’ll step i’m sick because the consultant for District 7, which encompasses the UC Berkeley campus, Telegraph Road business district, and Southside group, on Friday – more or less 5 years then he become the youngest particular person to be elected to the Berkeley Town Council in 2018 on the future of twenty-two. His depart was once timed to reach ahead of the Town Council resumes its legislative consultation on Jan. 16.
Hour serving the folk was once the “greatest honor of (his) life,” Robinson wrote that the toll of being in population place of work proved extra. In an op-ed penned for Berkeleyside, a neighborhood information outlet, the outgoing councilmember mentioned he may now not live through diverse modes of harassment, stalking and ultimatum.
“I am burnt out. My tank is empty,” Robinson wrote. “I have been in a perpetual state of stress and exhaustion for as long as I can remember. It is not sustainable or healthy, and I need to make a significant lifestyle change.”
In line with town’s constitution, an meantime councilmember can’t be appointed to the place of work. Rather, a different, one-off election will likely be held to fill Robinson’s vacated District 7 seat throughout the finish of the time period in 2026. This may increasingly happen someday between the next March number one and the November common election, in step with constitution laws.
Robinson may be pulling the plug on his mayoral run, which he introduced a yr then working for re-election to the council unopposed in 2022.
Robinson may no longer be in an instant reached for remark Tuesday, however he informed a Berkeleyside reporter that he contacted police and thought to be looking for restraining orders then being “followed and told to kill himself, and that concerning messages were taped to the door of his home and mailed to him.” He mentioned that the ones incidents “often” stemmed from his aid for UC Berkeley’s proposed housing venture for Family’s Landscape.
“Generally, I have accepted this as simply being part of the job,” Robinson wrote. “But when these behaviors affect my loved ones, I have to draw the line. It’s time for me to prioritize my well-being and my family.”
On Tuesday, he additionally praised town management and body of workers for lots of tasks and accomplishments all over his tenure, such rezoning the Southside group to aid denser housing building, breaking grassland on pristine motorcycle and bus lanes in a “complete Streets” venture, creating a sight for a car-free plaza on Telegraph Road and supporting UC Berkeley’s push to manufacture housing at Family’s Landscape.
Following Robinson’s announcement, a number of of his colleagues and fellow elected officers shared their aid and neatly needs.
On social media, Berkeley Councilmember Terry Taplin admired Robinson’s “tireless advocacy for safe streets, affordable housing and community safety,” including that “the harassment and abuse public servants face is real. This toxicity should never be normalized.”
Former Berkeley Councilmember Lori Droste lauded Robinson for being ingenious, sort and authentic era serving at the council.
“From staffers to elected colleagues, you’ll find a chorus of people who love him,” Droste posted on X. “He is so skilled at his job and has accomplished so much. We should be grateful for the time he served.”
Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín additionally chimed in: “We need more people like Rigel in public office, especially these days with our democratic values under attack.”
supply: www.mercurynews.com
