After sexual harassment complaint, Pekin councilmember censured for ethics violations

On Wednesday night, the Pekin City Council voted 5-2 to publicly censure councilmember Lloyd Orrick for ethics ordinance violations. The resolution came as the result of a sexual harassment complaint against Orrick from fellow councilmember Karen Hohimer in November. Hohimer accused Orrick of making inappropriate comments to her on several occasions, taking her cellphone without permission and making a remark about a Pekin citizen being her boyfriend on an open microphone during an October meeting.

“I do apologize for any statement I have made to (Pekin City Council member Karen Hohimer) that she felt was inappropriate and believes negatively impacted her,” said Orrick during Wednesday’s special meeting. “I never (intended) to make anyone feel embarrassed or disrespected. I accept responsibility for playing a part in causing this situation in the hope of putting this issue behind us, so we can all move forward."

While she said she accepted Orrick’s apology, Hohimer voted in favor of the censure resolution.

“You don’t know my history, you don’t know my past,” Hohimer told Orrick. “The things that you said to me hurt me deeply. I tried to be kind to you. I asked you to stop. I turned away from you. I spoke to other people. I walked away from you. You did not stop.”

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During a December hearing, the city of Pekin ethics commission voted that Orrick had violated two articles of the ethics ordinance. In addition to public censure, the commission recommended a $500 fine and Orrick’s removal from his position as mayor pro tem. However, councilmember Rick Hilst, who joined Orrick in opposing the censure, asserted that there were several procedural errors made during the complaint process. Specifically, he said, the ethics commission did not conduct an investigation before conducting a hearing. He also noted that the incidents about which Hohimer complained began last May, and claimed that even though several councilmembers were aware of the situation, none of them advised Orrick that his behavior was inappropriate. Additionally, he said that last June, Hohimer had requested to be moved from her seat next to Orrick to another seat at the other end of the dais. She was not moved to a new seat until this month.

“Had somebody come forward and said something to councilmember Orrick … months ago, or had (Hohimer) been moved to a different spot months ago, this could have been resolved easily,” Hilst stated. “But that didn’t take place.”

Hilst also voted against Pekin Mayor Mark Luft's appointment of councilmember Becky Cloyd as mayor pro tem and the reaffirmation of councilmember John Abel as first alternate. The resolution passed 6-1. Luft’s's appointment of councilmember Dave Nutter to the infrastructure improvements committee as its chairperson passed 6-0, with Nutter abstaining.

This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Pekin City Council censures Lloyd Orrick for ethics violations