Apr
13
Monday the 13th: A historic opportunity. Council Agenda, your reporting & comments
Filed Under 2009 Issues, City Council, City Council Meetings
(4/13/09, compiled by Dave Emerson) At 7 p.m. tonight our City Council will interview five nominees to fill Dean Grose’s vacant seat, in open session, probably vote on who to choose, then move into closed session to vote on a new City Manager. The open part of the meeting is scheduled to be televised, but I would certainly encourage you to be there in person.
This meeting could be a real turning point in our deeply divided town, or it could be just another opportunity for the majority to consolidate it’s power.
Logically, the majority will focus on their own interest, but there have been a few hopeful signs overthe last month:
- The majority has twice rescheduled major meetings to accommodate the minority.
- Gerri Mejia actually nominated for City Council someone who had a Marilyn Poe sign in his yard during the last election.
- Ken Stephens’ nominee seems to be independent minded, and has been quite responsive to questions posed on this site (see comments under “Big Los Al Council Meeting This Monday“
- Mayor Edgar actually reached out to initiate several meetings who have been opposed to some of his actions, and has set a more cordial tone in the last several meeting.
- All four Council members do care about our town, do live here, and must understand that it’s in everyone’s best interest to have a Council that strives to be inclusive and make peace rather than continue the deep schisms that have plagues our little town for so long.
In other words, working together just makes sense, and perhaps it’s an idea whose time has come.
We’ll get a good idea tonight. I’d encourage you to be there, to speak up for community and unanimity, and to pray for a positive result.
Here’s the agenda:
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL – CITY COUNCIL
3. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
At this time any individual in the audience may come forward to speak on any item within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council . Please state if you wish to speak on an item on the Agenda. Remarks are to be limited to not more than five minutes.4. Interviews for the City Council Vacancy
The City Council will be interviewing candidates to fill the current City Council vacancy. This is an unexpired term that will end November 2010.Recommendation:
1. Interview the following candidates for City Council:
Pete Carvajal Anne Yee
Candace DeWitt-Drucker Dean Zarkos
Brad Sheridan
2. Appoint a candidate to fill the current City Council vacancy; or
3. Action as the City Council deems appropriate.
5. CLOSED SESSION
A. Conference with Labor Negotiator
Agency Negotiators: Nita McKay, Interim City Manager and Dean Derleth, City Attorney
Employee Organization: Executive Management, Middle Management and Non-Management Employees; Police Officers’ Association; and, the City Employees’ Association
Authority: Government Code Section 54957.6B. Public Employee Appointment
Title: City Manager
Authority: Government Code Section 54957C. Conference with Labor Negotiator
Title: Conference with Labor Negotiator
City Representatives: Dean Derleth, City Attorney
Unrepresented Employee: City Manager
Authority: Government Code Section 54957.66. ADJOURNMENT
The next meeting of the City Council will be Monday, April 20, 2009, at 7:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers.
As always, your thoughts, comments, and real-time reporting are welcomed.
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9 Responses to “Monday the 13th: A historic opportunity. Council Agenda, your reporting & comments”
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7:10 update: Mayor Edgar kicked the meeting off with a good explanation of the procedures and time limitations on each nominee.
He emphasized the “pressing business” of the closed session scheduled after a new Council Member is chosen. We’ll see how this unfolds, but I certainly hope the Council takes as long as they need to find a nominee that both the majority of the majority and the minority can support, not just someone the majority can agree on.
In my opinion, there is no more “pressing business” than bringing our community together. I’m guessing that Troy has a City Manager candidate that he’s excited about who needs a fast reply, and I can appreciate that. But uniting the community has to come first. In this case, that means taking as much time as is needed to find a candidate that Gerri and the majority of the majority agree with. I hope and pray they do.
7:25 update: Interesting comments.
I ran overtime because the normal light they have to warn speakers that their time is running out was nowhere to be seen. Curious.
JM Ivlar commended Ken Stephens for his nomination of Anne Yee, who has been one of the three more responsive nominees,along with Pete Carvajal and Brad Sheridan.
After Deborah Feldman spoke about speaking out, Carolyn Sylvia felt compelled to speak out against what she felt was the injustice done to Dean Grose, who she would like to see restored to his Council seat. Another gentleman rose to agree. Fortunately, I really don’t see the Council agreeing with Mrs. Sylvia on this one.
Then it was time to begin the interviews, starting with Brad Sheridan (names were drawn at random by city staff).
From here on you’re on your own, as I’ve got several urgent matters to take care of and may not have time to review the rest of the tape for some time.
That’s why it’s called “your reporting.”
Can anyone say Brown Act?
Brad, by far, was more qualified than any other that was interviewed. He is a long time resident, rooted here, invested in his home and town.
Serving the community, locally and the broader community, when he serves as judge.
What the heck has Dean done…oh, lived in his girlfriend’s condo. Doesn’t sound like roots to me.
Simply on the basis of what he said at the March 2nd Council meeting, coupled with his obvious eloquence, and balanced point of view, I was hoping that Pete Carvajal would be chosen for the vacated Council seat. Sadly, that was not the case. Now, it remains to be seen who is chosen for the CM’s position …. How can a person who’s been sworn in on a City Council for 15 minutes make an informed or wise choice about who to choose as CM, much less address the employee labor contracts, along with all the other pressing issues facing our city? Maybe Pete should consider a run for one of the two available Council seats in November 2010? Choosing Zarkos will not serve to move Los Al forward. I hope I’m wrong, but….
Duped again!
Is it too much to ask everyone to stop playing nice and realize that our city has been taken over by people that don’t care about our opinion or us.
Do you really think that an Edgar lead council is going to care about what is the right thing to do or that he’s going to care that citizens don’t like what the council is doing? Come on people, get serious!
They all spent money and time smearing to families to get what they wanted and didn’t hide it!
Troy and Dean (Grose) spent the last two years doing nothing to move this city forward or get along with the the other council members. They worked with an imposter citizen’s group (The CPLA) and our city nmanager to do it.
People should be outraged at this! we were not heard or represented tonight. We were played like we’ve been played for the last two years.
It’s time to stop being nice and take this personally.
RECALL Troy Edgar!!!
It may be time to move the discussion of the Council’s choice to fill Dean Grose’s seat to my latest post, “You heard it here 18 days ago: It’s Dean Zarkos!”
If you have info about the City Manager search/selection, let’s keep that discussion here for now. Ditto comments on public comments at the meeting.
There were three good choices for city council.
None were selected.
Why am I not surprised?
I will say that I know who I want to see run in the next election. I have three votes and I would have no problem voting for this slate… Dave, Gerri and Anne.
The funny part is that I think, after talking with Anne and with Mrs. Sylvia there, that Anne would have been the best possible choice tonight. She actually would have been exactly what Dave wanted, a “healer”. She is very pragmatic and after talking with her I was even more impressed by her than I was before the meeting.
Oh yes, just in case you missed it, the meeting was scripted (and I believe that there was even a violation of the Brown Act in that the winner was notified in advance that he won).
I only wish that they had given Gerri another chance to second Anne’s nomination. It was always clear that Gerri’s choices were never going to have a chance, at least with Anne having a nomination and a second, it would have forced Stephens to really do some soul searching before rolling over on his own nominee.
As for the recall, still waiting to hear back from the city clerk, but thanks for the ammunition Troy.
I agree with you Mr. Ohler. How can anyone just sworn in really have a informed say. Unless (which is more likely) he was coached when he was promised the position before the mock interviews.
They, the majority, should be ashamed of them selves for wasting the time of all those good people. Is that why they only had one pick as not to waste too many “friends’” time?
What happened to the Los Al poll. Couldn’t they have set that up… no cost to the people and they get heard.
I think it is not too late set up the poll, give people time to see the interviews and cast their vote.
Come on is this a democracy anymore or have we completely disregarded our Forefather’s work.
It would not have suprised me to see them pull out a new nameplate with the name ZARKOS on it. Inserting it onto the dias in front of Zarko’s seat would have been priceless. This was obviously scripted and planned out long ago. Having sat on job interview panels in the past, I would have scored Zarkos as the worst of the five. Other than his degree, he brought nothing. Where do I sign for the recall!?