WINDSOR, Calif. - The mayor of the California wine country town of Windsor on Friday announced he is resigning, effective immediately, amid multiple accusations of sexual assault.
It was an abrupt reversal for Dominic Foppoli who had maintained his innocence and steadfastly refused to step down from office as the complaints mounted against him.
"It has been an honor to be your Mayor. I love Windsor," Foppoli said in a statement to KTVU. "I do not want undue national attention to have a negative impact on the Windsor community because of lawful, but poor choices I have made in the recent past. Windsor should continue to thrive, and I believe that at this juncture, stepping down is the best way to ensure that Windsor flourishes, unimpeded by the unfortunate distractions those exploitative allegations will cause."
Foppoli's resignation on Friday came less than three hours after Chronicle reporters emailed him seeking comment about a police report a woman filed in Palm Beach, Florida, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in March 2021.
"It is with a heavy heart that I am resigning, effective today," Foppoli, who's also owned a winery said. "I have always and will always maintain that I did not engage in any non-consensual sexual acts with any woman. I recently learned that a woman in Palm Beach, Florida is accusing me of non-consensual acts while I was visiting there in March of this year. She made her allegations after she learning of the April 8, 2021 San Francisco Chronicle story. I have no doubt she is making these allegations in an attempt to leverage the situation to her advantage."
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Windsor Mayor Dominc Foppoli urged to resign over sexual assault allegations
Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli faces calls for his immediate resignation after a four women accused him of sexual assault in a bombshell report.
In early April, the San Francisco Chronicle first uncovered multiple allegations of sexual assault against him dating back 17 years.
About a week later, Foppoli said he'd "step back" from most formal duties and from being an "active mayor," but would remain on the council.
Multiple North Bay elected officials had called on him to resign and a recall effort was under way to oust him.
Since the news report came out, Foppoli has denied the women’s claims, writing that he is "completely innocent of the conduct alleged" and he said the accusations against him were driven by politics.
Foppoli has maintained a defiant attitude throughout the upheaval.
"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," Foppoli wrote a few days after the report came out.
The mayor said he had never "pressured any female to engage in sexual conduct with me," but did not address any of the specific accusations, which include forced oral copulation and rape.
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Dominic Foppoli reduces roles as Windsor mayor, but won't resign
Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli said he would be less involved in the town's government while authorities investigate allegations that he sexually assaulted multiple women, but he again refused to resign.
To date, nine women have now come forward to say Foppoli assaulted them in incidents dating back to 2002.
The Sonoma County Sheriff and the Attorney General's Office are investigating Foppoli.
The AG is involved because one of the six women claiming sexual crimes against Foppoli works as a Sonoma County prosecutor.
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