Citizens’ View of Littleton Colorado

City Council Study Session – Board and Commission Applicants Interview                    Citizen Minutes

Updated 13 March, 2016

23 February 2016

Council met to interview applicants for board and commission appointments. There has been an attitude that if council expresses their decisions without taking a roll call vote that they are not voting. Polling or coming to a consensus is not a vote in their view. This is important – our charter says that the council can only act by making a motion, a resolution or via an ordinance. So if the council does not make a motion or take an official roll call vote but expresses their opinion that is not considered a vote. In this instance not much damage is done but if this attitude prevails there will be an instance when the consequences have more impact on the community.

When the interviews were completed Bruce Beckman asked the council how they would like to proceed. He mentioned that the meeting was not being videotaped but the city clerk would provide minutes. He wanted to try to find consensus and to submit those names to the clerk to be put in a resolution to be voted on at a regular meeting at which time a council member can modify the selections if desired.

Phil Cernanec suggested they make their preferences known and hear rational reasons for the preferences and have conversations in order to direct the city clerk to prepare a resolution.

Beckman proposed a filtering down process using the white board and get to a commonality.

Doug Clark asked about the content of the minutes…..will the filtering process be in the minutes? He also said he did not think the meeting had been posted.

At that point someone said it was posted and Clark got up to go ask the city clerk who said it was posted but she had removed the posting at 5pm. (Meeting started at 6 pm) Beckman said Clark could do whatever he wants to do but he was going to trust the clerk.

Clark came back and said someone needs to write down the actions taken so we know and the public knows how we got to the resolution.

Jerry Valdes said he was prepared to make recommendations. Brinkman said they were not taking a formal vote and not making a decision. Valdes said they used to televise the interviews but then they stopped and he was opposed to that at the time. Peggy Cole said it was done out of a sense of fairness.

Beckman asked Clark if they proceeded what his objections would be. Clark wanted minutes written that records the process they use. He wanted the minutes to reflect which council members supported which applicant for which board.

Brinkman said they would vote in public when the resolution is presented. Cernanec asked if the council was OK with directing staff to prepare a resolution based on their discussion?

Clark said without making motions it would be difficult to track their decisions. Cernanec said in the end there will be a list. Clark said there is no video and the video is the official minutes and a decision was made not to video the meetings outside of regular meetingd.

Brinkman, clearly agitated, said we are not going to get into this……….

Beckman said they were not going to vote on anything – he would give the clerk his recommendations.

Clark told the council that they would have to let him know what they decided and he excused himself from the meeting.

Brinkman told the council that they were in this as a team. We are not making policy – this is a volunteer decision and by dividing and separating out individuals……to start splitting hairs……..we are talking about members of the community and we need to be respectful.

The selections were made. The process was sloppy and difficult to follow since motions were not made and their votes were not recorded microphones were not used, and they talked over each other at times. Another problem, they referred to applicants by last names and I did not have a list of applicants that would have helped.  What follows is the best effort to record their selections. I am sure I have misspelled some of the names. The first column are the names of applicants and the second column lists the council members that supported the particular applicant.

Board of Adjustments

Alternates Donald Genna and Jack Rychecky were moved up to Regulars.

Joseph Riemer (1^st Alt)                 Beckman, Cernanec

Pete McClintock (Reg)                  Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Scott Prieamu (2^nd Alt)                 Beckman, Brinkman, Valdes

Fey                                                     Valdes

Askew                                                Cole

Manskie                                            Cole

Cirbo                                                 Cernanec

Building Board of Appeals

Alternates Jeff Eaby and Dustin Hubbard were moved up to Regulars

Dave Mitchell                                   Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Ron Manske                                     Cernanec, Valdes

Shey                                                   Cole

Historic Preservation Board

Alternates Edward Leighty was moved up to Regular

Sharon Gaare                        Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole (Reappointment)

David Spartlen (1st Alt)

Quinney                                  Cole

Paul Kastner                          Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Field (2^nd Alt)                       Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes

Licensing Authority

Alternates Mike Buchanen and Kenneth Shock were moved up to Regulars

Andrew Cole                                         Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Timothy LeVier                                    Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Day (1st Alt)                                          Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Jerome Wiencek (2^nd Alt)                  Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman

Shay                                                        Cernanec

Watkins                                                  Valdes, Cole

Planning Board

Alternates Brian Corbett was both moved up to Regular

Fey                                                     Cole

Lynne Krueger (Alt 1)

Stahlman (Alt 2)                              Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Cole (Stahlman is a former council member – liaison to urban renewal and voted in favor of all urban renewal projects.  This appointment puts him in a position to vote on urban renewal projects that come forward.)

Hayne                                                 Brinkman

David Bolt (reappointed)               Beckman, Cernanec, Valdes

Cirbo                                                   Valdes

Election Commission

Thornton                                Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Askew                                     Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole (withdrew)

The third opening was not filled although it was suggested that Shay be asked if she wanted to serve on the election commission since she had not been appointed to anything else. A very interesting suggestion since council insisted that they were not voting or making any decisions for board appointments until a regular meeting sometime in the future.

Museum

Rick Cronenberger, Jennifer Aldridge and Karen Wojkyla – Three openings and three applicants – all were approved

Library

Dawn Shepherd (Reappointed)    Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes

Paul Bingham (Reappointed)        Beckman, Cernanec, Valdes, Cole

Cecile Tobey (Appointed)              Beckman, Cernanec, Valdes, Cole

Bradish                                              Brinkman

Fine Arts

Shari Rossie                                      Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

Carolyn Bradish                               Beckman, Cernanec, Brinkman, Valdes, Cole

 

 

Filed under: 2016 Council Minutes, Current Citizen Minutes, General, Littleton City Council |