Oceanside council to examine appointment process

By: MARGA KELLOGG - Staff Writer
Councilman wants mayor's committee choices put on agenda | Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:32 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- Councilman Jerry Kern says he wants to know who are the mayor's choices for appointments to city boards and commissions 72 hours before a vote is taken.

"We get these big stacks of stuff, there might be 30 to 40 applications," Kern said Friday. "If the appointments are agendized I can go back and read the background on the guy before we sit down at the council meeting."

Kern said putting the appointment choices in the agenda will also open the process to the public.

"Right now, the public doesn't have much of a say," Kern said. "I think it's more open government."

Kern put the issue on Wednesday's Oceanside City Council agenda after it was raised at last week's meeting by Councilman Jack Feller.

Feller and Mayor Jim Wood have said they will seek the mayor's seat in November.

Wood said Friday that putting the names in the agenda 72 hours in advance is easy enough to do, but it won't change the way the council votes.

"If they're not going to vote for them, they're not going to vote for them, which is what they seem to be doing lately," he said.

Wood described Kern's comments as "rhetoric" in an election year, and said Kern should take the time to read through the applications like he does.

"I'm sorry he just wants to read through one," Wood said. "Then he'd be missing out on all the other applicants' information. This is just not a valid issue."

The bigger problem is getting enough people to apply for the positions, Wood said.

Also Wednesday, the council will consider a one-year extension of a contract with Camp Pendleton that allows up to 3.6 million gallons of wastewater per day to pass through Oceanside's ocean outfall line from five Camp Pendleton wastewater treatment plants.

The extension would be the final one-year extension allowed for the contract, which was first agreed to in 1999.

Camp Pendleton built 2.2 miles of effluent pipline in that connects with the city's ocean outfall pipeline. The Marine base began discharging through the outfall in September 2003, according to a city staff report.

Camp Pendleton pays the city for the use of the pipe based on a percentage of the total outfall flow, according to the report.

The base also paid the city $325,000 for the five-year lease and will pay $65,000 per year for the three additional years, with the money going into the city's sewer fund.

During a closed session before Wednesday's meeting, the council will hear discussion of price and terms of the sale of the Marina Towers property at 1200 N. Harbor Drive.

The council also discussed the issue in closed session at it Feb. 13 meeting. City attorney John Mullen reported that no action was taken.

The council will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 300 N. Coast Highway.

Contact staff writer Marga Kellogg at (760) 901-4067 or mkellogg@nctimes.com

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

Wood's Cronies wrote on Feb 18, 2008 5:01 AM:I think we have known all along the idea is to get as many of Mayor Wood's cronies as possible serving on the various Boards and Commissions. It is not about quality governance it is about control governance, the model made famous by Melba. The other Melba model of the City Manager and the City Attorney flanking the Mayor on the dais should be change as well; ...

Insider wrote on Feb 18, 2008 6:38 AM:Give it a rest Kern--read the information packets and quit trying to bust the mayor's you know whats.

Jeff wrote on Feb 18, 2008 7:10 AM:So Mayor Wood thinks more open government is rhetoric, typical response. I appreciate Kern wanting more public input, apparently the Mayor does not. Is it any wonder that citizens do not apply to commissions when the mayor does not value their input.

Get on with it wrote on Feb 18, 2008 7:32 AM:Sounds like Wood is the one that is stuck on certain people , not Kern. If it is simple to do , do it and move on, don't make it more of an issue than it is. If Wood and Feller are the only candidates, we are in trouble, both need to be removed.

to insider wrote on Feb 18, 2008 7:50 AM:I agree with you. Kern is just picking on the Mayor. If Wood wants to appoint commissioners in secret and without public input then we should let him. Oh yeah, please mail me your absentee ballot so I can vote for you too.

Pirate wrote on Feb 18, 2008 8:11 AM:The mayor should not be so petty. It is not a big deal(and every other level of government does it)to give advance notice of an appointment. This reminds me of when Mackin, Sanchez and Mayor Wood controlled the council, and they routinely brought forward items without back-up material or advanced notice, and policy was routinely decided in secret. Oceanside does not need to go back to the bad old days.

RJC wrote on Feb 18, 2008 8:18 AM:Kern's request is reasonable and appropriate. Wood's response that prior posting would not change the vote illustrates, in Wood's own words, his contempt for the public and others on the the council. ...

Public Input? wrote on Feb 18, 2008 9:28 AM:We will see how much Kern and Feller value the public's input on March 19 when they vote to approve the concrete plant on Loma Alta creek. They will vote against the overwhelming public opinion. Remember their vote on election day.

Off Base wrote on Feb 18, 2008 9:58 AM:Most of you are off base. The appointments are suggested by the Mayor but must be voted on and accepted by 3 members of the council. The pave-over-everything troika KFC (Kern Feller Chavez) determines who can get appointed. Most people don't want to apply anymore because of that.

More Open Government Needed: wrote on Feb 18, 2008 10:12 AM:Well at least Mayor Wood finally has taken a stand. And what better to defend than my right as Mayor to nominate whoever you want for any appointment without any anvance notice. The names of the Mayor's choices are handed out when the appointment item comes up on the agenda, not one minute before. Let's get rid of this selfish old school mentality that only champions devisive government and fosters poor working relationship.

So what's the big deal? wrote on Feb 18, 2008 10:17 AM:If the Council must vote for the Mayors nominations why not advance the nomination names before the meeting? Why is this a battle worth fighting over, don't we have more important things to take up Mayor?

Voter wrote on Feb 18, 2008 1:47 PM:Does Feller really need Kern's help so he can be "King" of Oceanside? Apparently so, cuz he can't do it himself. Both of them need a reality check! Voters pay attention!

Same old power struggle, wrote on Feb 18, 2008 3:47 PM:Is there really justification for the pettiness of hiding these appointment nominations? Mayor Wood professes to change agent for open government? Baloney, it is the same old control oriented power struggle and we all suffer. I don't care who you vote for for Mayor; this petty, underhanded, back room, good old boy style the current Mayor chooses to continue must stop.

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