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Mayor Carr addresses investigations, acknowledges touching a colleague’s knee and removal of her phone
Summary
Mayor Carr read a prepared statement saying two investigations reviewed allegations about his conduct; he said one found no crime and another sustained three accusations, then described each incident, acknowledged placing his hand on Council Member Vasquez's knee and removing her phone but denied touching her body and said some facts are confidential.
Mayor Carr used his council-comment time to read a detailed, on‑the‑record statement responding to recent investigations and public commentary. He said two investigations occurred: "One investigation…concluded I committed no crime. In the second investigation, the three accusations were found to be sustained," he said, and then addressed each accusation in turn.
On the first allegation — that he placed his hand on Council Member Vasquez’s thigh during a seated conversation — Carr said the claim was sustained and acknowledged the conduct: "Yes, I did place my hand on her knee after our discussion...That is when I patted her knee as a sign of encouragement and support, nothing more." On the second allegation — that he touched Ms. Vasquez’s cell phone and her body while her phone was in her back pocket — Carr conceded he removed the phone but said there was "no evidence that I touched her body": "I used two fingers to remove the phone and tossed it on the desk. I then stated to Council Member Vasquez, 'You are about to lose your phone.' That is where it ended. I never touched her body."
On the third allegation — comments about Vasquez’s appearance and a hand gesture toward her chest area — Carr said the sustained finding related to comments about her outfit, but he said the gesture referred to the colors of his own shirt and was not intended to be offensive. He said he would have apologized if told he offended her. He also rejected an account that he invoked his Fifth Amendment right, saying confidentiality of parts of the investigations limits what he could disclose publicly.
Carr closed by affirming his public service record and asking the public to consider the full context; he set the council’s next meeting for April 27.
Why it matters: the mayor’s statement acknowledges sustained findings in at least one investigation and includes admissions and denials that are material to public trust in local government leadership. The council did not announce any personnel action during the meeting.
Direct quote: "Yes, I did place my hand on her knee...That is when I patted her knee as a sign of encouragement and support, nothing more," Mayor Carr said.
