Laurie Alderman
Writen comment: Ac�on on appoin�ng council member process.
I nearly choked on my dinner when I read the following in the agenda packet:
Past vacancies on the Cotati City Council have been successfully filled by appointment, most recently with former Mayor John Moore (appointed in 2013), former Mayor John Dell’Osso (appointed in 2011), and former Mayor Mark Landman (appointed in 2009). All three of these appointed members were subsequently elected to full term City Council seats.
I’d like to give the “real” and truthful evidence of how the appointment process was not “successful” … The evidence is mostly in the minutes for both the appointment of Mark Landman in 2009 and of John Moore in 2013.
2009 Appointment of Mark Landman:
Jud Snyder described how Mark Landman turned in his applica�on on the day of the council’s vote on the appointment. htps://www.thecommunityvoice.com/news/new-cota�-council-memberappointed/ar�cle_1baf50�-3da5-50d1-a55e-58171d37540e.html Public Comment
There is visibly an absence of minutes in 2009 of the November 18, 2009 minutes where Mark Landman was appointed:
Yet, the next minutes, for November 25, 2009, has him listed as a council member:
We ci�zens have no evidence available to us about the appointment process on November 18, 2009, which shows the lack of integrity and transparency of previous council appointments. Audio recordings back that far were purged a few years ago.
John Moore’s appointment in 2013:
Again, the evidence of discrimina�on is in the minutes:
Despite being the one who was most supported a�er the interviews in front of the council, George Barich was eliminated in the first round. In fact, he was the only applicant eliminated out of the six applicants that had just been interviewed. Despite being one of the least supported applicants a�er the interview, John Moore went on to two more rounds and was appointed.
Leaving the replacement of Kay Rivers in the city council hands one more �me is not fair to the ci�zens of Cota�. We need it to be by a vote of the ci�zens. You should appoint George Barich, as he was the next in line in the most recent elec�on as far as votes. Or you should hold a special elec�on to ensure that the filling of the council vacancy is done in a fair process, based on the will of the ci�zens of Cota� and not on the council due to these past “fishy” appointments.
OUSTED MAYOR TRIES FOR VACANT COUNCIL
POSITION:COUNCIL MAY CHOOSE
REPLACEMENT TONIGHT FOR COLEMANSENGHOR
A math professor, a former mayor and a once-recalled council member are among five applicants for a vacant Cotati Council seat. The two others are a self-employed business consultant and a former planning commission chairwoman. The council is poised to act tonight to fill its empty fifth seat, which was vacated when Councilman Robert Coleman-Senghor died of a torn aorta April 9.
Councilman Mark Landman, who was appointed to fill a vacancy, in 2009, called it "one of the most important decisions" facing the council. The candidates are:
JEREMY HAY/ THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
BY JEREMY HAY/ THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
May 25, 2011
1 minute read
A math professor, a former mayor and a once-recalled council member are among five applicants for a vacant Cotati Council seat.
The two others are a self-employed business consultant and a former planning commission chairwoman.
The council is poised to act tonight to fill its empty fifth seat, which was vacated when Councilman Robert Coleman-Senghor died of a torn aorta April 9.
Councilman Mark Landman, who was appointed to fill a vacancy, in 2009, called it "one of the most important decisions" facing the council. The candidates are:
* Ben Ford, a Sonoma State University math professor and a city planning commissioner. * John Dell'Osso, a park ranger and former Cotati mayor. * George Barich, who was recalled from the council in 2009 after a year dominated by controversy.
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Fire Tracker | SSU Cuts | School Closures | SDC | Trump's 1st 100 Days | Immigrant Communities 1/27/25, 10:40 AM OUSTED MAYOR TRIES FOR VACANT COUNCIL POSITION:COUNCIL MAY CHOOSE REPLACEMENT TONIGHT FOR COLE… https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/ousted-mayor-tries-for-vacant-council-positioncouncil-may-choose-replaceme/ 1/3 * Linnel Hardy, a former planning commissioner and 2009 council candidate. * William Strickland, a consultant.
Hardy ran unsuccessfully for the council in 2009 to replace Barich. In January, the state ordered her and former mayor John Guardino to pay $9,000 in fines for their role in channeling an illegal donation by Barich into Guardino's campaign.
Hardy, who was campaign treasurer at the time, and
Guardino termed the violation "a good faith" mistake. They investigated the matter and reported the violation when it came to light, they said.
Whoever is appointed will join the council during a period of relative calm compared to 2009, when Landman took his seat in the aftermath of the Barich recall and as the city prepared to launch a campaign for a controversial city sales tax measure.
The city, with the worst of its financial crisis behind it, is updating its general plan, a roadmap of its priorities for the next 20 years, and starting to focus on revitalizing its downtown.
"It's important," Vice-Mayor Susan Harvey said of the appointment, "because we're on our way."
The council clearly has indicated it wants to make an appointment. But it does have the option to call for a special election, which would be held in November.
A city report said the election would cost $22,400. Whoever fills the seat must run for election in November, when Coleman-Senghor's term would have ended.
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1/27/25, 10:40 AM OUSTED MAYOR TRIES FOR VACANT COUNCIL POSITION:COUNCIL MAY CHOOSE REPLACEMENT TONIGHT FOR COLE… https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/ousted-mayor-tries-for-vacant-council-positioncouncil-may-choose-replaceme/ 2/3 Start the conversation
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1/27/25, 10:40 AM OUSTED MAYOR TRIES FOR VACANT COUNCIL POSITION:COUNCIL MAY CHOOSE REPLACEMENT TONIGHT FOR COLE… https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/ousted-mayor-tries-for-vacant-council-positioncouncil-may-choose-replaceme/ 3/3 COTATI COUNCILTO APPOINT NEW MEMBER:
REPLACEMENT TO SERVE OUT LATE
COUNCILMAN'S TERM
The Cotati City Council decided Wednesday to invite applications from residents to fill the seat made vacant by Robert Coleman-Senghor's April 9 death. Three people in the audience urged that a special election be held instead, including former councilman George Barich, who was recalled in 2009. The council voted 4-0 to appoint a new member. Interested candidates have until May 12 to apply. The new councilmember would serve out Coleman-Senghor's term, which ends November 2012. They could then run for election.
JEREMY HAY / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
BY JEREMY HAY / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
April 28, 2011
1 minute read
The Cotati City Council decided Wednesday to invite applications from residents to fill the seat made vacant by Robert Coleman-Senghor's April 9 death.
Three people in the audience urged that a special election be held instead, including former councilman George Barich, who was recalled in 2009.
The council voted 4-0 to appoint a new member. Interested candidates have until May 12 to apply.
The new councilmember would serve out Coleman-Senghor's term, which ends November 2012. They could then run for election.
The last councilmember to be appointed was Mark Landman, who in 2009 was placed in the seat of former mayor John Guardino, who had resigned. Landman ran successfully for election in 2010.
Coleman-Senghor died from a torn aorta. He was elected to the council in 2008 and was mayor for a year starting in early 2009.
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Fire Tracker | SSU Cuts | School Closures | SDC | Trump's 1st 100 Days | Immigrant Communities 1/27/25, 10:42 AM COTATI COUNCILTO APPOINT NEW MEMBER: REPLACEMENT TO SERVE OUT LATE COUNCILMAN'S TERM - The Press D… https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/cotati-councilto-appoint-new-member-replacement-to-serve-out-late-councilm/ 1/2 His time on the council was marked with controversy and he was a favorite target of critics upset at how the city government was run.
Barich, who has often accused the City Council of practicing insider politics, called for a special election and said "the people's voice needs to be heard." He said: "It would be unfair on the community to simply appoint one of your friends, one of your associates, one of your campaign supporters."
Councilwoman Pat Gilardi said, "I don't see where friends and cronies were appointed" and said it was "prudent" to appoint someone for the next 18 months. You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 521-5212 or [email protected].
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