Zachary Seidel arrested at Astoria City Council
Man tries to arrest mayor, police chief at Astoria City Council meeting
By Derrick DePledge
The Daily Astorian
DERRICK DEPLEDGE — THE DAILY ASTORIAN
Zachary Seidel, 29, was arrested Monday night after disrupting an Astoria City Council meeting.
Man charged with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
A man disrupted an Astoria City Council meeting Monday night and tried to make citizen’s arrests of Mayor Arline LaMear and Police Chief Brad Johnston before Johnston was able to wrestle him to the ground.
In a bizarre scene at City Hall, Zachary Seidel, 29, who lives in Astoria, refused to stop talking when LaMear informed him he was speaking about the wrong agenda item as the City Council opened a public hearing on the Riverfront Vision Plan.
Seidel told LaMear she was under citizen’s arrest. As he tried to explain why, the mayor interrupted him.
“Would you please be quiet,” Seidel said.
“I will not be quiet,” LaMear said sternly, slamming down her gavel. “You are asked to leave.”
Seidel repeated that LaMear was under arrest and began to read her a Miranda warning advising her of her legal rights. As Johnston approached and introduced himself, Seidel said: “Hello Chief Johnston, you’re under arrest as well.”
Johnston, who was not in police uniform and did not have his handcuffs, tried to escort Seidel from the council chambers. But Seidel struggled and Johnston took him to the ground.
Johnston, who had alerted police dispatch, urged residents who had packed the council chamber for the debate on the Riverfont Vision Plan to call 911 as Seidel squirmed beneath him.
“Criminals! You’re all criminals!” Seidel shouted at one point during the struggle.
Two Astoria Police officers arrived and took Seidel into custody. He was taken to Clatsop County Jail and charged with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Seidel, an activist, has attended City Council meetings in the past. While disheveled, he did not appear angry or threatening before he spoke Monday night, but was confused about the agenda item before the council. He tried to speak about a previous item when LaMear intervened.
LaMear said afterward she was grateful to Johnston. “It could have gotten out of control,” she said.
The mayor said she did not know what Seidel was going to do, “but I also did not feel particularly intimidated by him, because I felt like I needed to control the meeting.”
Johnston, who is also the assistant city manager, said Fire Chief Ted Ames told him he had never seen such an incident in 18 years of attending City Council meetings.
Others could also not recall a similar disruption.
Johnston said he does not think the incident will prompt tighter security at council meetings. “It was very unexpected,” he said. “It is an isolated event.”
He said he might “look at some things I do differently, but I don’t know that we’ll do anything differently for security” for the City Council.
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