HomeMy WebLinkAboutTC Minutes 2017-06-13 TOWN COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Fraser called the special meeting of the Tiburon Town Council to order at 7:00 p.m.
on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Town Council Chambers, 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon,
California.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Fraser, Fredericks, O'Donnell
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: "Two Vacant Seats
PRESENT: EX OFFICIO: Town Manager Chanis, Town Attorney Stock, Town
Clerk Stefani
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
There were none.
INTERVIEWS FOR INTERIM VACANCIES ON TOWN COUNCIL
(Tiburon Town Council —Two vacancies for interim appointment)
Mayor Fraser gave a brief outline of the interview format for each of the candidates being
interviewed this evening.
The following individuals interviewed before the Town Council:
• Holli Thier
• Jerry Jacobs
• Brian McCullough
• Patrick Sherwood
• David Bloch
ACTION ITEMS
AI-I. Town Council Vacancies—Discuss appointment process for two interim appointments
(Office of the Town Manager)
Town Manager Chanis said this was the final meeting of interviews for the two vacancies on the
Town Council. He said there were 22 initial applicants, and 16 now remain up for consideration by
Town Council Minutes 13-2017 June 13, 2017 Page I
the Council after six withdrawals. Given the number of candidates,he said the Council may wish to
discuss how to conduct the appointment process scheduled for the next regular meeting of June 21,
2017.
Chanis said there is no established way of going about the narrowing of many candidates for an
appointment, but a common theme is to conduct a preliminary tally of each councilmember's
preferred candidates.He said each councilmember may report to the rest of the Council their own top
candidates, and the Council may use this preferred list to guide their deliberations.
Vice Mayor O'Donnell thought a discussion of individual candidates and their merits might be
valuable because different candidates bring different skillsets. Mayor Fraser agreed.
Councilmember Fredericks did not necessarily believe the Council would be constrained from
discussion on the candidates if each councilmember were to bring forward a list of their own
preferred candidates.
Town Attorney Stock said the initial tally of candidates is not a vote or a secret ballot. Furthermore,
he said the Council is in no way bound by the initial tally: the tally is a source of information to be
utilized by the Council in their deliberations, and the Council may still vote for or appoint a
candidate that was not named in the initial tally.
The Council was in agreement that conversation on a smaller subset of candidates was appropriate,
and a discussion followed as to exactly how many candidates should be brought forward by each
councilmember for discussion, and how to eliminate candidates further.
Town Attorney Stock said another way to do this would be for the Mayor to come forward with his
list of preferred candidates, and the other councilmembers may add on to the list. He said that when
the Council feels there is an adequate subset of candidates, discussion on the individual merits of
each may begin. Either way, he said the first step is to determine how many preferred candidates
should be allotted to each councilmember.
Councilmember Fredericks wished to clarify that the Council would have the opportunity to make
comments about why they see certain candidates as a good fit for the Council. Stock confirmed that
there would need to be deliberation after any subset of candidates was identified.
Mayor Fraser asked at what point in the discussions the public would share their comments. Stock
recommended opening the floor for public comment before each councilmember suggests their top
candidates and deliberations begin.
Mayor Fraser opened the floor for public comment.
Deirdre McCrohan, The Ark newspaper, read a letter that had been submitted to the Council earlier
that day, expressing concern over a secret ballot as a way to tally the councilmembers' preferences.
The letter suggested that any such written ballot with the selections of each councihnember be read
Town Council Minutes 13-2017 June 13, 2017 Page 2
aloud into the record, rather than just the final collective results of the ballot.
George Landau, Sugarloaf Drive, said there was precedent for making the appointment to the
Council from the last unscheduled vacancy on the Town Council in 2013, following the death of a
councilmember. He said the Council took turns nominating candidates, and while there were not as
many candidates, the process still very open and fair.
Mayor Fraser closed the floor for public comment. A discussion followed based on the comments
made to ensure any discussion of councilmember preferences was transparent to the public.
Vice Mayor O'Donnell suggested verbally moving through the entire list of candidates,and allowing
each councilmember to verbally state if that candidate deserves further consideration before being
moved to the subset list. Town Attorney Stock said the Council would still need to decide how many
preferred candidates were allotted to each councilmember. Councilmember Fredericks did not like
the idea of publicly announcing the sentiment that an individual candidate should not be added to
their subset list of candidates.
The Council was in agreement that the end goal was the same: to publicly announce each
councilmember's list of preferred candidates,and use that information to deliberate individual merits
until a nomination can be made and a vote passed. Stock added that if there is one "standout"
candidate amongst the entire Council,a nomination can be made immediately for that individual,and
a discussion can follow for the second seat.
A discussion followed as to how many candidates each councilmember should bring forward for the
first subset list and strategies to further narrow down that list if necessary. The Council agreed that
each councilmember should be prepared to verbally announce their four preferred candidates after
public comment, and deliberation will follow.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the Town Councilf �e Town of Tiburon, Mayor Fraser
adjourned the meeting at 9:26 p.m.
JIM F YOR
t
ATTEST:
R
LEA STEFANI, TOWN CLERK
Town Council Minutes 13-2017 June 13, 2017 Page 3