Only one
surprise surfaced during the annual selections of officers to lead
the locally elected governing boards with jurisdiction in Yorba
Linda.
Generally,
City Council members, water district directors and school trustees
rotate each of their colleagues through the boards' leadership
positions for one-year terms, demurring just when political
gamesmanship interferes with the traditional, orderly process.
The
exceptions have occurred mostly in the council's yearly selection of
a mayor and mayor pro tem, when members on the short side of 3-2 and
4-1 voting alignments are, on occasion, pettishly excluded from the
largely ceremonial positions.
However,
the surprise this year came in the Yorba Linda Water District, as
unanimous votes extended the terms of President Ric Collett and Vice
President Mike Beverage for a second year.
The
district has rotated the positions each year since directors were
first elected by the public in 1959, but Beverage, next in line to be
president, suggested Collett serve another year “due to the
continued drought and other events which had occurred during the
previous year,” meeting minutes stated.
Interestingly,
the seats now held by Beverage and Collett are the two scheduled for
the November ballot. Beverage, a single-term councilman in the 1980s,
was first elected in 1992, and Collett's initial term began in
2004. They faced no opposition in the 2012 election.
Another
task for directors is to “consider” the board member
“compensation rate,” an annual agenda item. Again this year,
directors – as they have since 2003, when they raised the
per-meeting stipend to $150 for up to 10 meetings per month –
wisely declined an increase.
State
law allows the directors to raise their pay 5 percent each year,
which could have led to a $269.38 per-meeting paycheck starting this
year. However, the review didn't consider medical, dental and vision
benefits that currently cost from $8,963 to $15,124 yearly per
participant.
Placentia-Yorba
Linda school trustees followed their rotation policy by elevating
Judi Carmona to the presidency, replacing Eric Padget, with Karin
Freeman named vice president and Carol Downey clerk. Seats now held
by Carmona, Downey and Padget are scheduled for the Nov. 8 ballot.
Trustees
also review board compensation as a regular agenda item each year,
but in a 5-0 vote this time, they boosted their $750 monthly pay the
state-allowed 5 percent to $787.50, a bit behind the 5.5 percent
employee raises granted earlier for the current fiscal year.
Council's
occasionally volatile selection process went smoothly this round,
with unanimous votes selecting Tom Lindsey mayor and Peggy Huang
mayor pro tem. Seats held by Gene Hernandez, Mark Schwing and Craig
Young will be on November ballot.
Hernandez
continues as the city's rep at the Fire Authority, Huang at Vector
Control and Young at the toll roads agency, with $100-$120
per-meeting pay.