Politics & Government

Nine Commission Seats Filled

City Council votes to re-appoint two incumbents, displace one and appoint seven new individuals to city commissions.

Josh Cooperman and Martha Andreani retained their seats on the Library and Planning commissions, and Parking and Public Improvements incumbent Carlos Vigon lost his to former Parks and Recreation Commission member Steve Nicholson during a City Council vote Tuesday night.

James Gill and Nancy Dunn were appointed to the Cultural Arts Commission and Steve Ortmann to the Planning Commission.

Parks and Rec Commission appointment were Russ Allen, Rebecca Roth who will serve as the Mira Costa High School student representative, and Tom Allard, who will serve in the Older Adult seat.

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Nicholson, whose term in the Older Adult seat on the Parks and Rec Commission expires May 31, applied for a seat on three commissions: Cultural Arts, Library and the seat he gained, Parking and Public Improvements.

The Parks and Rec Commission was recently honored for its accomplishments.

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  • Previously:  

Council member Nick Tell was not present for the vote. New Mayor Waye Powell, Mayor Pro Tem David Lesser and council member Amy Howorth said they prefer to re-appoint incumbents who have served well to bring "continuity" to a commission. They diverged from that practice by replacing Vigon with Nicholson.

"This is the hardest thing we do, really," said Howorth at the beginning of the voting process, saying that everyone knows one another.

In the appointment discussion, Howorth called Dunn "rich in quality and character." 

Of incumbent Andreani, she said, "I love the way her mind works, and she tries to be very thoughtful in how she approaches an issue." Lesser called Andreani a "terrific, engaged commissioner."

Of outgoing Planning Commission member Sandra Seville-Jones, Lesser cited her "integrity, intelligence and proactivity," saying her "loss is going to be great."

Lesser told all applicants to "please, please apply again" and Mayor Powell reminded the audience that it took him three attempts before he got a seat on his first commission.

The appointment terms begin June 1 and end May 31, 2015, according to a city staff report.


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