LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday evening two Lakeport City Council members took their oaths of office as they began new terms, the council elected its new mayor and mayor pro tem and appointed community members to fill city commission and committee seats.
City Clerk Kelly Buendia administered the oath to Councilwoman Stacey Mattina and Mayor Mireya Turner.
Mattina is now beginning her third term, and Turner is starting her second.
Because both women ran unopposed, in August the council voted to appoint them and forgo the cost of an election, as Lake County News has reported.
After they took their oaths, Mattina and Turner exchanged a high five and returned to their seats.
The council then chose its leadership for the new year, with Councilman George Spurr nominating Mayor Pro Tem Tim Barnes as the 2019 mayor, which the council approved unanimously.
Barnes then nominated Spurr for mayor pro tem, explaining that he had planned to do so even before Spurr nominated him for mayor. Spurr received a unanimous vote from the council.
Barnes and Turner then switched seats, and Barnes led the remainder of the meeting.
“I really enjoyed my year as mayor. It gave me serious street cred,” said Turner.
She praised city staff for being supportive of council members' priorities and ideas, and said she’s excited to be on the council for another four years.
Barnes praised Turner’s tenure as mayor and told her he hoped to do half as well as she had done.
During Tuesday’s meeting the council met new city staff members.
Public Works Director Doug Grider presented new Public Works employees Hector Heredia and Codie Lairson.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen also introduced his new sergeant, Mike Davis, who came to the city from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Davis, who was sworn in on Monday morning at City Hall, has more than 22 years of previous law enforcement experience, is a veteran of the U.S. Army and the California Army National Guard, and has advanced education in public administration and emergency services management, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said they’ve been recruiting for over a year for the position. “We believe Mike is a good fit for our agency and we’re proud to have him on our team.”
Much of the meeting was devoted to selecting community members to fill open seats on the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, Measure Z Advisory Committee, Lakeport Planning Commission, the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee and Parks and Recreation Commission.
The council has instituted an ad hoc advisory committee of two council members – in this case, Mattina and Turner – who along with staff interview applicants and make recommendations to the full council.
On Tuesday, Mattina and Councilman Kenny Parlet explained that the ad hoc committee was instituted because the city wasn’t getting enough applicants and they had heard that people didn’t like being interviewed by a full council.
“We had very low turnout for all of the committees and commissions and that was some of the feedback we were given,” said Mattina, explaining the awkwardness some people felt about finding out in front of an audience that they weren’t chosen.
“So we tried this out,” she said, explaining they are now getting more applicants and not seeing open and unfilled seats any longer.
It was also noted by council members during the meeting that the ad hoc committee interviews had been relaxed, friendly and informative, and that they had learned a lot about people in the more informal atmosphere.
However, several community members and former members of various boards and committees complained about the ad hoc committee process, which they said was unfair.
Suzanne Russell, who is an outgoing planning commissioner and former Traffic Safety Advisory Committee and Parks and Recreation Commission member, said many seats are being filled by brand new people who have no experience and aren’t showing up to meetings.
Ann Blue, another former Parks and Recreation Commission member who also has served on a number of other committees, also faulted the process, which she called very unfair.
The council voted to fill four openings on the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee with applicants Denise Combs, William Eaton, Terre Logsdon and Wilda Shock, all of whom have experience on the committee.
For the Measure Z Advisory Committee, the council appointed Susan King and Verna Schaffer.
When it came to the ad hoc committee’s recommendations to appoint Brandon Disney, Jeri Driver and Mark Mitchell to the planning commission, the council received pushback from Michael Froio, a current planning commissioner not recommended for reappointment, and several community members who came to support him.
Froio, who has served for two years after being appointed to fulfill Spurr’s unexpired term on the commission, said he wasn’t happy, and has worked faithfully on the commission. He then outlined a number of actions he’s taken to improve his neighborhood.
“If I sound cranky, I'm really cranky,” he said, adding he didn’t feel it was a transparent process and he wanted an explanation of why he wasn’t selected for reappointment.
Turner thanked Froio for his service, recognizing he has been a powerful and passionate advocate of his neighborhood. She said both she and Supervisor Tina Scott have toured his neighborhood twice, first to see the problems and then to see the improvements. “He has done great things.”
For Turner, experience isn’t the single most compelling reason to reappoint, and she noted she was impressed with everyone who interviewed. She said she was confident the three recommended appointees are fully capable. “I see the same drive, I see the same work ethic.”
Russell spoke in favor of both Froio and another sitting planning commissioner, Kipp Knorr, who also hadn’t been recommended for reappointment. She said both are contractors and fine commissioners.
“It takes a lot of time to get the hang of the planning commission,” Russell said.
Supervisor Tina Scott told the council she was surprised the council was considering selecting new people. She said she’s met with Froio and was amazed by how much he loves his community and how he was worked to make a difference.
Michael Green, another planning commissioner whose seat isn’t up for reappointment this year, said he was OK with the ad hoc committee process, noting the interviews are hard to do in a public setting and that he’s seen the process work well.
“It is surprising the recommendations that came forward,” he said, noting that Froio has been dutiful and passionate, and Knorr has been helpful.
Parlet said he also had been shocked Froio wasn’t recommended for reappointment. “He is exactly the kind of guy that I think we need on the planning commission.”
Spurr said he agreed with Parlet and he also wanted Froio on the commission. Mattina and Turner indicated that they stood by the ad hoc committee’s recommendations.
The council took a brief break to retrieve a paper copy of one application that hadn’t been included in the electronic packet before resuming the discussion.
Barnes said he also wanted Froio to continue. “He suits up and he shows up.”
Turner noted that the ad hoc committee is advisory only, and she then moved to appoint Froio, Driver and Mitchell to the planning commission, with Parlet seconding and the council approving the motion 5-0.
“Show up and make noise and we listen. That's how this is supposed to work, right?” Barnes said after the vote.
The council then went on to appoint Ashley Barrett, David Brown and Vicki Cole to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.
For the Parks and Recreation Commission, the ad hoc committee recommended Wayne Yahnke and Lynn Andre be appointed to the two vacancies.
However, the council yielded and voted unanimously to appoint Yahnke and current commission member Suzanne Lyons after she, Blue and Russell complained about the process, with Russell at one point stating she didn’t agree with bringing in so much “new blood” to the commissions.
Parlet spoke up on Lyons’ behalf, noting that she often doesn’t say the nicest things about city staff and council members and, “I’m not always happy to see her.” However, he said she puts in the work.
The presentation of holiday decorating contest awards by the Lakeport Main Street Association was held over until the next meeting.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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