Planning News
Tuesday night's council meeting was no surprise to this Planning Commission applicant. The application process had been manipulated beforehand to seat council's chosen toadie, which may actually be legal, ethics notwithstanding.
Before the regular meeting, council interviewed Planning Commission applicants one at a time. Councilman King had prepared a single question for applicants to answer: What makes you uniquely qualified to serve on the planning commission? Councilman Lancaster inquired into each applicants position on three issues: The Town Center Specific Plan, Civic Park, and RV Ordinance enforcement.
The applicants called in order, were: Bill Mason (who retracted his application in support of the Duff appointment); Pat Duff, urban forester & HCDA Commissioner; Bob Low (who was not present); Chuck Hodapp, highly skilled incumbent; Jorge Marquez, youthful and enthusiastic thinker; and Win "commmon sense" Patterson, the late applying council favorite.
Mayor Pro-tem Juarez moved to nominate timely applicants Chuck Hodapp and Pat Duff, noting that the two were the most obviously well-qualified candidates. The motion failed without a second from Mayor Delach or any of the three councilmembers Lancaster, King, and Stapleton.
Mayor Pro-tem Juarez then immediately moved to nominate timely applicants Chuck Hodapp and Jorge Marquez, noting the council's policy to include more young people in city government. Again, no second and the motion failed.
Council Member Stapleton piped up with a nomation for Chuck Hodapp and Win Patterson, last-minute shoo-in applicant, whereupon Council Member Lancaster promptly seconded and the motion was voted upon. That motion passed handily with Delach, King, Stapleton & Lancaster voting Aye and Juarez No.
Mr Patterson has not, to my knowledge, attended a single Planning Commission meeting in the past five years, so count him to rely heavily on his notorious "common sense" as the learning curve unfolds in the months to come.
I look (somewhat exhaustedly) forward to another season of increasingly detailed participation from the public podium, at both council and planning commission meetings and various other community outreach efforts and media events. There's a lot at stake. People who care about Covina's future ought to consider getting involved before these people blow our city's future.
Before the regular meeting, council interviewed Planning Commission applicants one at a time. Councilman King had prepared a single question for applicants to answer: What makes you uniquely qualified to serve on the planning commission? Councilman Lancaster inquired into each applicants position on three issues: The Town Center Specific Plan, Civic Park, and RV Ordinance enforcement.
The applicants called in order, were: Bill Mason (who retracted his application in support of the Duff appointment); Pat Duff, urban forester & HCDA Commissioner; Bob Low (who was not present); Chuck Hodapp, highly skilled incumbent; Jorge Marquez, youthful and enthusiastic thinker; and Win "commmon sense" Patterson, the late applying council favorite.
Mayor Pro-tem Juarez moved to nominate timely applicants Chuck Hodapp and Pat Duff, noting that the two were the most obviously well-qualified candidates. The motion failed without a second from Mayor Delach or any of the three councilmembers Lancaster, King, and Stapleton.
Mayor Pro-tem Juarez then immediately moved to nominate timely applicants Chuck Hodapp and Jorge Marquez, noting the council's policy to include more young people in city government. Again, no second and the motion failed.
Council Member Stapleton piped up with a nomation for Chuck Hodapp and Win Patterson, last-minute shoo-in applicant, whereupon Council Member Lancaster promptly seconded and the motion was voted upon. That motion passed handily with Delach, King, Stapleton & Lancaster voting Aye and Juarez No.
Mr Patterson has not, to my knowledge, attended a single Planning Commission meeting in the past five years, so count him to rely heavily on his notorious "common sense" as the learning curve unfolds in the months to come.
I look (somewhat exhaustedly) forward to another season of increasingly detailed participation from the public podium, at both council and planning commission meetings and various other community outreach efforts and media events. There's a lot at stake. People who care about Covina's future ought to consider getting involved before these people blow our city's future.
posted by duff | 11:50 PM
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