Last Tuesday evening a remarkable event occurred during the Lompoc City Council meeting; the goal was to pare down a list of 10 applicants for a vacant council seat, and they accomplished it in two hours!
Each applicant was asked to submit written answers to the following questions: What will you bring to the dais that you feel is currently missing? Are there any conflicts of interest that the public should be made aware of at this time? What is your experience working with, or for, a government body (explain how it works differently than a business or nonprofit)? Explain in detail your experience in analyzing a budget (size, frequency, your role, etc.).
The process that was used to accomplish this feat was first proposed by Mayor Jenelle Osborne and accepted readily by her fellow council members. Applications would be accepted; the public would be allowed three minutes to support their choice; and each applicant would be given three minutes to describe why they should be selected.
Following the oral presentations by the applicants, the council would have no discussion but would simply score each applicant with 1 being the lowest and 10 points the highest. This system proved to be far more efficient than any used in past appointments to vacant council seats.
Of the 10 applicants, six looked impressive, so the choice was going to be difficult. Council watchers had been making guesses since the applications were posted on the city website, but their assumptions were all wrong.
The city is in deep financial trouble; major staff cuts will have to be made to meet a balanced budget, and someone who is used to managing large budgets would be necessary. A proven community leader was also needed, one who could bring maturity and strength to the dais. Several of the applicants seemed to meet this goal.
After more than an hour and a half of public comment and applicant presentations, the council took a break to tabulate their scores. Tension filled the room as supporters and applicants awaited the outcome. Would the council deadlock or could they rise to the challenge and make a solid choice that would benefit the entire community?
After a few minutes, they returned, and after the city attorney and staff tallied the results, the drama continued as the city attorney wanted clarity on what would happen next; surprisingly the choice was overwhelming as the winner garnered 39 of a possible 40 points, meaning that all four council members agreed that she was the best choice.
Two applicants tied for second place with 31 votes each, but the gap was too wide, so the council agreed to suspend the second round of voting.
Then, with all waiting, the city attorney announced that Ms. Gilda Cordova had prevailed in the voting. The newly appointed councilwoman is a successful business owner of a management and consulting business, president of Visit Lompoc LLC, and member of the Lompoc Economic Committee.
This marks a historic re-imaging moment in Lompoc politics. Now there are two women and two Latinos serving on the council, a first for this city, and the choices made will add strength to the decision-making process down at City Hall.
This selection also establishes that Mayor Osborne is a leader who can produce results in what could have become a complicated situation.
Ron Fink writes about Lompoc from Lompoc. Respond by emailing the editor at clanham@santamariasun.com or write a letter and email it to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 17-24, 2019.