Mayor Tornek Replies to Critics of Africa Trip

Mayor Terry Tornek on Thursday declined an invitation from Pasadena Now to discuss criticism he’s received over his recent trip to Senegal, which forced him to miss a special March 17 City Council session that focused on the coronavirus crisis. Instead, Tornek let a written statement be his defense.

“That’s as much as I’m going to talk about it,’’ Tornek said of the statement, which says, among other points, “It has been suggested that I should not have made the trip and that my absence somehow damaged the city’s ability to respond to the emerging COVID-19 virus crisis. That is not correct.’’

“During my time away,’’ the statement continued, “I was constantly communicating by email and phone with city staff and others in Pasadena just as if I was in my office. … Circumstances surrounding the virus emergency developed far more rapidly than any of us could have anticipated, but I consistently and thoroughly met my responsibilities as mayor.’’

But others in the city do not agree.

Thursday, former Mayor Bill Paparian penned an opinion article that appeared in Pasadena Now and the Pasadena Weekly in which he withdrew an earlier endorsement of Tornek’s re-election in the November runoff against Council Member Victor Gordo.

Paparian said he sent Tornek an email urging him to postpone the Africa trip and instead fly to Washington, D.C., to lobby for emergency funding and supplies for the city. But he said Tornek “never responded to that suggestion.”

Tornek led a city delegation to Dakar-Plateau, Senegal – Pasadena’s sister city in Africa – and did not attend that March 17 meeting at which members ratified a local emergency, passed an eviction moratorium and heard a detailed update on the coronavirus from Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, the city’s public-health officer, among other items.

Councilmember John J. Kennedy was also part of the city delegation but did return to town in time to participate remotely, while self-quarantining at home. Tornek returned to the U.S. on March 19.

That day, Tornek stepped off a plane at LAX and later took part in a televised press conference with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, among others. Critics have questioned Tornek for not quarantining himself after passing through four international airports en route home. Tornek noted he practiced social distancing. (Tornek has reported no COVID-19 symptoms.)

Meanwhile, according to emails released by the city, Vice Mayor Tyron Hampton had wanted to convene the special council meeting even earlier than the 17th. But it got pushed back over concerns about a quorum — with Tornek and Councilmember Margaret McAustin unavailable and Kennedy’s availability uncertain at the time.

When the meeting finally did take place on the 17th, all the members save Tornek participated either in person (Hampton, Gordo) or remotely.

Tornek, in his written statement, said his unavailability did not delay the meeting.

“In fact, the March 17th special City Council meeting was scheduled by the City Manager and me during this ongoing communication, as were the agenda and the list of items to be covered in his Declaration (of the local emergency),” Tornek wrote.

Hampton, who chaired that March 17 meeting in Tornek’s absence, said in an interview with Pasadena Now on Thursday, “I will say that Mayor Terry Tornek’s vote is one vote, just like the rest of us. … Mayor Terry Tornek’s absence is not the reason for holding up the meeting. So, if one person is not there, it’s not going to stop meetings from happening.’’

In his written statement, Tornek said of his absence at that meeting: “I was not able to participate in the meeting because I was getting the entire delegation home as quickly as possible. I felt that it was more important to continue with the special meeting rather than wait for me to return. It is the first City Council meeting that I have missed in my five-plus years as mayor.’’

Tornek also pointed to the importance of the trip to Senegal.

“My decision to make the trip with the delegation to our new sister city was made after careful consultation with city staff and the best available information from public health authorities,’’ he wrote.

“This trip was the culmination of a 20-year-long effort to forge a relationship with an African sister city and after complicated and detailed planning by the host committee. This was a self-funded trip, not paid for by the city, as has been the case for all the sister city trips.’’

The mayor further pointed to his job performance since he has returned.

“Since we made the Safer at Home declaration, I have taped daily briefings to keep residents informed, communicated frequently with dedicated city staff and community leaders, supported local businesses and worked to coordinate health services and deal with food security challenges,’’ he wrote.

Asked by Pasadena Now on Thursday if he would discuss any aspects of the trip, apart from the criticisms, Tornek said, “I just don’t want to talk about the trip right now. I’m way too engaged in sort of trying to stay current with what’s going on in the city to spend time on that.’’

Hampton, for his part, seemed to agree that now is not the time for this discussion.

“We’re in a time of crisis, and right now we need more unity instead of political attacks,’’ said Hampton, adding that he is neutral in the Tornek-Gordo mayoral runoff.

“What I’ve seen so far from all Pasadena residents is that we’re all in this together and that we’re working positively to flatten this curve so that we can get back to life as we knew it. The time is now not to criticize, but to see how we can all come together and help one another.’’