Malibu Canyon Community Association
 | VACANT COUNCIL SEAT IN CALABASAS |
WHAT'S GOING ON
Calabasas Councilmember Jonathan Wolfson is moving out of Calabasas, which will leave his Council seat vacant. The city council has to chosen to appoint someone to the position rather than hold an expensive interim election. However, rather than appoint the third-highest vote-getter from the most recent election, the council is soliciting candidates in a mini-election process in which only they get to vote. The City Council will vote on this appointment at a special meeting on January 18th at 7:00 p.m.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE
The current councilmembers have a vested interest in choosing a someone who will not be competition to them in the next election and/or someone who represents their own views. This means it is virtually impossible for current councilmembers to make an objective decision that represents the citizens of Calabasas rather than their own interests. Pressure from special interests cannot help but influence them as they gear up for financing and running their own campaigns in the next election just one year away in which three councilmembers will be chosen.
Soliciting and interviewing new candidates that only the Council can vote on is an attempt to take the decision out of the hands of the people and manipulate it to serve special interests. It substitutes a four-person Council vote for that of the people when there is a more obvious choice that directly reflects the vote of more than 1,000 residents.
Appointing a "retired" councilmember is being promoted by some as a noncontroversial way to resolve the empty seat, but this reasoning is similarly flawed. Former councilmember Washburn, who has applied for the position, did not run in the recent election, so there has been no vote for him by the public in over four years. Former councilmembers Hill and Lopata haven't been vetted by the public in many more years, and the public's support of those candidates may have changed. In fact, a lack of support may have influenced a councilmember's decision to "retire." Furthermore, a retired councilmember who does not intend to stay in office would be a "lame duck" appointee without any vested interest in being responsive to the concerns of residents. The predominant theme in the last election was that there was a need for change at City Hall.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
Since a city councilmember's main responsibility is to represent the voice of the residents, which only a direct vote can accomplish, the most democratic process would be for the Council to choose a person for whom the public has voted its support. The people spoke at the election just last March with the top vote-getters being Gaines and Martin with just over 1300 votes each, and Sibilia with 1161 votes--only 200 behind Martin and Gaines. He was one of the top two contenders for the two available council seats in four of the seven precincts in the city and overall was the third highest vote-getter. With Gaines and Martin in office, Bob Sibilia is next in line and an obvious choice.Unlike the candidates solicited by the city for this appointment, the candidates in the last election went through a rigorous vetting process in no less than nine public debates. They were interviewed by The Acorn and The Patch and vetted by residents in letters to the editor or online comments to articles. Thus, the most democratic and logical choice would be to put the third highest vote-getter from that last election into the vacant seat as the choice that residents have already and most recently voiced.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1)click here to send a letter to the council
2) Attend the January 18th City Council meeting.
3)Click here to find out more about Bob Sibilia