- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Turner named permanent Lake County Community Development director, resigns from Lakeport City Council
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors has hired the county’s next Community Development director, who announced she has resigned her position on the Lakeport City Council.
The supervisors emerged from closed session shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to appoint Mireya Turner permanent director of the County’s Community Development Department, effective immediately.
“I am honored and thrilled by the Board’s vote of confidence in appointing me permanent Director,” Turner said in a joint statement released by the county of Lake and the city of Lakeport. “We have an excellent team of qualified and professional staff, and it will be a privilege to continue leading this great group. Lake County residents deserve the best possible public service, and our Department will continue to strive to fulfill that mandate. I am committed to promoting responsible development, and creatively working with people looking to invest in Lake County.”
Turner, who holds a Master of Public Administration degree, has held several jobs with the county of Lake, first in the County Administrative Office and later for five years with the Community Development Department as a planner.
She went on to work in planning with the city of Ukiah for three years before returning to the Lake County Community Development as its deputy director in July, working alongside then-Director Mary Darby.
Then, on Aug. 16, the board appointed her interim Community Development director. That followed the departure of Darby, who had held the job for less than a year.
Darby had given her resignation in July, anticipating that she would remain with the county until Nov. 4. However, on Aug. 12 Darby abruptly left.
“Ms. Turner understands the unique needs of Lake County, and has the experience and technical knowledge to help us move forward,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Eddie Crandell in the city and county’s joint statement. “Making her appointment as Director permanent will help bring stability and continued growth to a critical County Department. Our board truly looks forward to an enduring and effective partnership with Ms. Turner and her team!”
The Community Development Department, critical to building and development in the unincorporated county, has struggled with keeping leadership over the past several years.
Turner’s is the seventh appointment the board has made to head the department since the start of 2016.
At the same time as she accepted the new job, Turner, now in her second term on the Lakeport City Council, decided to step down from her council role, effective on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
“Serving as Community Development director will require a greater commitment of time and attention than any of my previous roles,” said Turner. “The authority vested in this position could present possible conflicts with my elected position; so to avoid that, I must step down from the City Council. It has been a great honor to work with all of my colleagues on the Council, and the tremendous City of Lakeport staff, and I look forward to further opportunities to collaborate in my new role.”
In the joint statement, Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram lauded Turner for her accomplishments as a council member, “and Lakeport is a better place to live, work and invest as a result of her contributions.”
He added, “We will miss her insights as part of our council, and could not be more excited to see her work positively affect the lives of every Lake County resident.”
In her council role, Turner has served as a liaison to the Lakeport Fire Protection District, Lakefront Park Advisory Ad-Hoc Committee, Clean Water Program Committee and the Lakeport Unified School District. She also was one of the city's voting delegates to the League of California Cities, Redwood Empire Division, and served on the Community Economic Development Committee for the National League of Cities, according to the city of Lakeport.
Turner, who this year has served as mayor pro tempore, filed this summer to run for a third term in November. She and council colleague, Stacey Mattina, were the only filers for the two available seats.
Ingram told Lake County News on Wednesday that city staff is working on an agenda item for the Lakeport City Council’s Sept. 6 agenda to review the various options that exist for finding Turner’s successor.
“There appears to be quite a bit of nuance to work through given that Mireya’s name will likely appear on the ballot in November,” Ingram said. “Her resignation was effective immediately but if she still ends up getting elected in November she will likely need to formally decline her re-election once certified.”
Besides Turner’s seat, the city is facing the potential for another vacancy on the council should Councilman Michael Green be selected to succeed Tina Scott on the Board of Supervisors.
Green told Lake County News that he is applying to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for the District 4 supervisorial seat. That’s a job for which Turner also was believed to be a potential candidate, but which she is precluded from holding while a county department head.
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.