Dominic Foppoli’s statement responding to sexual assault allegations

On Saturday afternoon, Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli issued a statement defending himself against allegations by several women of sexual assault. In it, he made numerous and serious claims of sexual misconduct against Esther Lemus, a Windsor Town Council member and a deputy district attorney in the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. We are publishing his entire statement Sunday morning after giving Lemus an opportunity to respond.

— Richard Green, Press Democrat editor

My name is Dominic Foppoli. I am the duly elected mayor of Windsor, California, and this is my public statement about the unfounded accusations that have been levied against me.

I am truly at a loss regarding the false allegations that the San Francisco Chronicle thought fit to print. Despite the clear political and social machinations that are outwardly and obviously driving the effort to put my head on a spike, I never imagined I would be pursued as a trophy to warn those who dare to have a positive impact in public service regardless of ideology.

To my family and real friends, I thank you for your love and support. I feel horrible that you are having this terrible situation and embarrassment thrust upon you and cannot express enough how I could not survive this ordeal without your dedication to our bond.

To those who supported me in my race for mayor and who continue to support me as we fight to ensure my innocence is wholly recognized, I thank you.

And to those in the general public who are out to get me regardless of the truth: Be assured that I will not succumb to any pressure to resign my office as I have done nothing to warrant your attacks.

To my fellow elected officials who have called for my resignation, your cowardly rush to judgment without evidence is a particularly alarming reflection of the state of our dwindling Democracy; indicative of your lack of commitment to critical thinking and logic; as well as an absolute collective failure to fully evaluate a challenging situation before making judgments and condemning a fellow colleague and citizen.

One of the founding principles of American jurisprudence and how we as a nation are supposed to view such matters is that people are innocent until proven guilty. I have not been arrested or charged with any crimes, I certainly have not had my story heard, and I most definitely have not been proven guilty.

Rather, a reporter who has had a well-sharpened axe to grind against me for years has spun a fantastic tale of falsehoods. The truth is worlds apart from the allegations and accusations stated in the San Francisco Chronicle article. Alexandria Bordas, the lead reporter of article, has spent several years investigating me with a single goal: disclosing some hidden nefarious reason for my youthful successes.

First, she alleged that I was acting illegally as a hyper-conservative insider of some kind trying to break through California’s Democratic wall to political power.

When this effort failed, as it too was based on falsehoods, she followed up by pursuing another false narrative based on the world’s worst source for factual information: Social media commentary during a political campaign, which she pursued for salacious fictions.

I am far from a person without faults, but I am not a rapist nor have I ever pressured any female to engage in sexual conduct with me. However, through this so-far one-sided process, the San Francisco Chronicle has self-ordained itself as my judge, jury, and executioner without caring to learn or understand all the facts.

I believe anyone who believes they have been victimized should have the opportunity to be heard and I didn’t want to cloud my accusers’ stories with an immediate response and therefore decided to give them time to be heard.

But now is the appropriate time for me to address this matter: I am completely innocent of the conduct alleged and have not violated any of these women.

While I choose not to share the true stories publicly at this juncture to avoid embarrassment to these women, who at one time engaged in consensual contact with me, I will fully defend myself against any false charges to clear my name.

From personal experiences, I well understand that the shame and emotional turmoil that comes from unwanted sexual contact. While I have previously confided in close friends about this, this is the first time I will admit publicly that I, like too many women — and, yes, men, as well — have been pressured into an intimate experience that I did not want by someone more influential and with power over me. She used her political, professional, and community sway combined with alcohol to force me into a sexual situation that I did not want at a government conference. Afterward, she used her position of power to try and silence me.

I am not saying I am a victim or claiming a “me to” moment for myself or for men in general. That idea is ridiculous.

However, I share these facts publicly to stress that there is a universal problem based on the abuse of power for all who work to move up the ladder as they pursue their dreams to which I personally have had experience.

As I examine how best to fully address the accusations faced versus what has factually occurred, I apologize to Mr. Lemus, Assistant District Attorney of Sonoma County and Windsor County Councilperson and Esther Lemus’ husband for any pain the following facts may cause you or your family by making them public. Unfortunately, they are a highly relevant part of the record of how power is wielded in contemporary America. The power of the easily mislead public and the power that, unfortunately, can be abused in elected office.

An actual truth is that I and others of which I am aware have had sexual interactions with Mrs. Lemus, whom is married. These encounters are completely inappropriate, and I remain ashamed by them, even as I, personally, was forced into the situation by a person with more power and influence than I had yet to achieve at the time.

Nevertheless, in using her position of power over me at the time, Mrs. Lemus made it clear to me that I was not to tell anyone of our interaction and that, if I did, she would use her position of power to end my political career.

At one point she threatened to expose the 2017 allegation letter referenced in the Chronicle story to the public even though law enforcement dismissed the charges as unfounded. She intended for me to never disclose to anyone what she did to me or about the sexual acts I later, unwittingly, witnessed that she had with others.

I know of at least two other people who came forward to me about their sexual interactions with this elected official and I encourage them to come forward publicly with their personal stories.

It’s time for Ms. Lemus to come clean about her abusive behavior and resign immediately as Assistant District Attorney of Sonoma County so that women who truly have been sexually assaulted have an advocate that doesn’t have the stain of sexual impropriety and corrosive abuse of political power.

As to the false accusations I now face, those who know me best know that I have people extremely close to me that are survivors of sexual assault. I would give anything to take away the pain that it causes them and all others who face or will ever face such a personal challenge.

I only bring these facts to public light to demonstrate the very personal connection I have to these difficult and, while connected, ultimately separate situations. I find such conduct abhorrent and am deeply saddened and upset I have been accused of perpetuating any such repulsive claims.

If I have done anything wrong, I would accept responsibility and I would resign. But I have not.

Because I believe in a society where daughters and sons are safe and where sons and daughters are not cast out as predators based on unsubstantiated and one-sided claims of sexual wrongdoing, I am fighting back and will clear my name.