Big Bear City, CA — The Big Bear City Community Services District Board of Directors will hold as four, as, during last night’s CSD meeting, President Marge McDonald, Vice President John Day and Directors Jeff Newsome and Rick Ollila opted not to appoint one of four applicants to the vacant, fifth director’s seat. Back on April 19, McDonald summoned applicants to submit a resumé, then those individuals—East Valley residents Thom DeGriselles, John Green, Gary Wentz and Bob Ybarra—were interviewed during the district’s May 3 meeting, and all four then attended the May 17 meeting in hopes of appointment, to fill the seat vacated by Barbara Beck, who was elected in November 2008. It was two weeks ago, on the 3rd, when Newsome suggested that the board seek legal input prior to appointing any of them, given potential conflicts of interest–those conflicts potentially stemming from one having been a past CSD General Manager, another as an employee of the County’s Special Districts Water and Sanitation Division, and another given the disclosure of a felony conviction. Though no specifics were given, when the director appointment agenda item came up early in the Monday evening meeting, President McDonald announced, “We’ll let this vacancy go to the November election.” VP Day was quick to add, “It is legal, from a scheduling standpoint, that we do that, wait for the general election in November.” As researched by CSD’s General Manager Mike Mayer, who has been in contact with the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, the district has 60 days from Beck’s April 5 resignation to either appoint a new director or call for a special election, at a cost of roughly $1800. As the new, fifth director would still have to run in November (based on the length of time served by Beck), Mayer noted, “The cost for that special election would be incurred either way.” Director Ollila, the only one of the four who is not up for re-election in 2010 said, “I don’t see any great harm in waiting a few months,” though he voted against the motion to go to election rather than appointment. So, come November 2010, the seats for McDonald, Day, Newsome and Beck will be on the ballot; should Ollila be the last man standing from the existing board, he would be the only one eligible for the CSD presidency, as directors must first serve at least a year. Newsome apologized to the four applicants after the 3-1 vote, and McDonald summed it up, “I think all of the candidates were very good. In the best interest of the board, of the community, I believe holding is the best decision.”
