34 applicants to be interviewed for vacant Costa Mesa commission seats
The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday will interview more than 30 local residents vying to fill open seats on a trio of city commissions.
Candidates for the planning, senior and parks and recreation commissions will go under the microscope, but the council isn’t expected to make any appointments until the end of this month.
All three commissions are currently devoid of members after the council voted Jan. 3 to vacate all existing appointments on the panels and launch a new search for members.
Between then and the close of the application period Wednesday, the city received 36 applications for the five seats on the Planning Commission, 28 for the five spots on the Parks and Recreation Commission and 15 for the seven-member Senior Commission.
Council members reviewed the list of applicants and could choose up to three of their top choices to interview for each commission.
The council will interview 34 applicants Tuesday — 10 for the Senior Commission, 12 for the Parks and Recreation Commission and 15 for the Planning Commission. Some residents will interview for more than one commission.
Mayor Katrina Foley said the goal of clearing out the commissions was to increase engagement and attract commissioners with a wide array of experience, perspectives and skill sets.
Overall, Foley said Friday, the city received “a highly qualified group of applicants with high education credentials — probably the most I have seen as a group collectively since I’ve been involved in the city.”
“We have a really good applicant pool that is all residents of Costa Mesa,” she said. “That was the whole point. We wanted to open it up to be more inclusive, so I’m really pleased with the applicants.”
The decision to vacate the commission seats was not without controversy. Some said doing so seemed like a political maneuver or a “power grab.”
Council members Allan Mansoor and Jim Righeimer voted against it, with Righeimer calling it “a slap in the face” to those who were serving.
A handful of former commissioners who saw their terms end earlier than scheduled will interview to reclaim their seats.
The following people will interview for the Planning Commission: Stephan Andranian, Byron de Arakal, Sarah Bortz, Mark Buchanan, Robert Dickson Jr., Teresa Callo Drain, Susan Gonzales, Jeff Harlan, Daniel Hoffman, Jay Humphrey, Jeff Mathews, Isabell Mayer Kerins, Jenna Tourje, Dan Worthington and Jonathan Zich.
Mathews and Buchanan also will interview for the Parks and Recreation Commission, along with Kristina Bogner, Shannon Crossen, Leah Ersoylu, Liz McNabb, Barbara Morihiro, Gary Parkin, Kim Pederson, Steve Smith, Arlis Reynolds and Carla Navarro Woods.
Parkin also is up for the Senior Commission. The other interviewees for that body are Charlene Ashendorf, Randy Briggs, Lucia Holt, Joeliza Jones, Alexa Merchant, Darrel Neft, Lee Ramos, Olga Reynolds and Barbara Steck.
The Planning Commission reviews issues related to local land use and development and has authority to take final action on certain applications, though in many cases those decisions can be appealed to the City Council.
Both the senior and parks commissions discuss issues on those topics and advise the council.
Planning commissioners receive a stipend of $400 a month for twice-monthly meetings. Senior and parks commissioners get a $100-per-month stipend and typically meet once a month.
Tuesday’s special council meeting starts at 4:15 p.m. and will be held in Conference Room 1A on the first floor of City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.
The council is expected to make appointments to the three commissions at another special meeting Jan. 31.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
