The Oakley City Council unanimously appointed Mayor Randy Pope and re-appointed Ron Johansen to the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board Tuesday night.
The Council received four applications for folks interested in serving on the fire board and after interviewing three candidates, Ron Johansen was deemed the most qualified candidate.
Johansen, a career firefighter and professor at Las Positas College teaching fire service, was previously appointed in 2012 and has been serving on the board. His re-appointment means he will continue serving on the Board which was set to expire in October.
Prior to the discussion even occurring, Mayor Pope started off by saying he was going to volunteer to serve and then recused himself while stepping out of the room to let the remainder of the council host the appointment discussion.
Vice Mayor Doug Hardcastle thought it was a good idea to have a councilmember serve on the Fire Board.
“It’s a really good idea that someone from the council is on there so that way we get a report back every time there is a meeting hot off the press in that situation so they can have the input from city perspective on that,” said Hardcastle.
City Staff highlighted that it was allowed to appoint councilmembers to the Board and explained that Brentwood appointed a councilmember to serve.
Councilwoman Diane Burgis asked Kevin Romick if he thought it was necessary to have a city councilperson on the Board and if it would make the board better.
Romick explained he was in favor of it and explained how Vice Mayor Joel Bryant never stepped down.
“I am in favor of it because when we all backed off that all of us would. That was the agreement we made with Brentwood. We would all appoint and back off,” explained Romick. “Joel (Bryant) decided he wanted to stay on the Board and Brentwood took that approach. I think it’s important that we both have the ability have one councilmember on there since that is where we are going with this.”
Romick further stated that ideally, the Board would be elected through voters, but that right now, its important that Oakley have some council representation so that the city is in balance with Brentwood.
Ideally, it would be an elected Board and we would get through all this but that is not in the cards but I think it’s important for us to have some council representation for us out there so we are in balance within what the city of Brentwood is doing.
Editor’s Note:
Back in the fall of 2012, Oakley decided during the appointment process that Kevin Romick would serve on the fire board through April 2013 as a transition would occur with a brand new board. Romick eventually dropped from the Board and was replaced by Jonathan Michaelson.
During the December 2012 Brentwood City Council meeting, it was determined then Councilman Joel Bryant would continue to serve on the Board during the transition. While Brentwood originally suggested a four-to-six month transitional period, Joel Bryant wanted 12-months with an option to continue. Ultimately, that was granted—the appointment began in January 2013 where he has never left the seat.
The intention by the fire board in that fall of 2012 when moving towards a new board of non-elected officials was to remove the “conflict of loyalties”. The intention when the agreement was made was to appoint Board Members who were citizens. After Oakley made its three appointments, Brentwood rescinded on that agreement and Oakley appears to be following Brentwoods lead.
It’s my opinion that as long as you have elected officials serving on a Special District, there is a conflict of loyalty that will always occur—which Oakley Vice Mayor Doug Hardcastle confirmed when he said the person will look out for Oakley.
In a special district, whether we like it or not depending on the city we live in, a district must focus on the overall district, not a specific city. Two wrongs here do not make a right.
16 comments
Good. As long as we have elected city leaders serving on the ECCFPD board, the district is not “independent” as defined by LAFCO law. Given the district’s history and the condition it was in when the County tried to wash its hands of it, independence isn’t appropriate.
By “condition it was in” you are referring to the $6.5M in reserve funds at the time of transfer, right?
I see both you and absent minded johnny(Chuck) have once again tried to rewrite history. The transfer to local governance was in process well before the sitting Supervisor took her seat. Formation of the District was 2002. Local leaders jockeyed for power positions for 2 1/2 years before she even showed up.
Facts are a terrible thing when all you want to do is mindlessly rant. Apparently Mr. Gonzales(Chuck) can’t read the plain English of several studies done on the fire district to identify the funding problem. Not a single one of them places blame on the Board of Supervisors.
As for having a council member at fire meetings, what’s preventing that now? Other local governing bodies have representatives in the audience who report back to their respective bodies. Unless you want to risk a breach(deliberately or otherwise) of attorney-client privilege of the District, it’s actually a BAD idea to have a sitting council member on the fire district board.
“when all you want to do is mindlessly rant.”
Isn’t that what you do Mike?
Righteous in the Wood, actually that’s your job!! You do it so well…..mindlessly rant that is!!!!
Awww.. Blues Clues haven’t you figured out how much of a hypocrite troll you are? But, I’m not surprised. You simply can’t argue with an idiot.
Reggie,
Shouldn’t you be sticking you your usual racist comments?? Talk about internet trolls…gessssh!!
@Rhymes with Chuck, AKA Buy a Clue, AKA Blues Clues..
Shouldn’t you be sticking to your usual screen name? Yeah. That’s what I thought, you HYPOCRITE COWARD.
LMAO. I hope you realize ECT logs your IP address. You’re biggest hypocrite on this site. I was expecting more of your long winded BS posts full of insignficant facts, but instead you cower behind a different screen name. How pathetic.
Reggie you lose again. I am not Buy a Clue, Blues Clues or even the tooth fairy. The fact that I subscribe to common sense and conventional wisdom might make it look that way..just as you and Chuck are somewhat aligned thru anger, dishonesty and a few other undesirable attributes. Life must really suck for you two. See, I don’t think you are the same guy. You have two special brands of anger going on there!! Who cares if ECT has IP addresses?? It only proves that Clue and I are two completely different people. Out of curiosity, how would that make either on of us hypocrites or cowards?? Was that simply the best that you could come up with?? Poor fella, you are just grasping at straws.
I completely agree. Great move Oakley. When the ship does sink we can give it back to the Supervisor that scammed us into taking the derelict boat she made and abandoned. She a used car saleswoman but truth is out. I’m voting no I think because my good buddy ECV is. He is one of the more intelligent people. I can tell by his comments. At last, maybe Oakley can stop being screwed over by the county.
And what if Randy Pope is not re-elected? There goes the council member on the Board.
That’s OK Why, because Brentwood was smart enough to keep an elected official in. This way the county remains on the hook for the ten million in arrears on pension. Time to shove that district back to the B who tore it down by ignoring the problem and refusing to help this past ten years..No leadership with her. Just self lip service. Merge with Con Fire and give the district back to the B. Her and her lobbyist puppets have deteriorated the quality of life continuously since she took office. Honorable Sheriff Rupf was so right with his opinion of the B. Merge now and don’t waste anymore time.
Chuck, or better yet John….let’s drop the charade shall we? It’s time for you to stop playing loose with the facts. You are simply butt hurt because the county supervisor put you in your place. It appears you are reduced to taking child-like pot shots through weak attempts at reinventing history. Key point hot shot, it’s not working.
Honorable Sherriff Rupf? You have got to be kidding! That loose cannon was the biggest embarrassment to the badge in years. You must have missed him being lambasted on national TV. Even his own kids couldn’t stand him.
All you have to offer up is Merge? Is that how it works in Simpleville?? Now that’s funny John. I heard you had anger management issues. Your baseless rants are evidence of how you act (like a small child). So I say’ good going dipshit….you just proved just how out of touch with reality you are. No wonder the supervisor took away any responsibility you may have had. Can’t say anyone would blame her. She gets my vote.
Buy A Clue pointed out your accusations were all flawed. That’s gotta hurt!!!! Apparently you just make it up as you go along. Is that how it works over there in Knightsen?? Where the deer and the antelope play??? How utterly pathetic!
Your opinion is as transparent as your are John. Stupid may work in your head but it doesn’t fly anywhere else. Comprede amigo??
@Rhymes with Chuck, AKA Blues Clues, AKA Buy a Clue
Why change your screen name coward? Are you trying to make people believe that you have some sort of a gang of followers here?
POS.
Nice try Reggie but Buy a Clue and I are two completely different people. Thank you though for confirming for me and the rest of the readership here that you are wrong with your assumptions most of the time. Keep swinging in the air!!
I’m beginning to think those Piepho puppets are stalking me. It seems the truth really does hurt. It is a fine thing that the Cities are realize how the Supervisor screwed over east county and its citizens when she ruined the Fire Dept. Then when she knew it was a sinking ship, she dumped it saying it was local control. What a scam and deceiving thing to do to her constituents and cities that trusted her. That trust is long gone now. Both of the Cities are keeping an elected official on because they don’t want the huge debt the supervisor left them. Over ten million in arrears. We have already paid the county for services once. Merge with county run Con Fire like it should be.
John if you want to call yourself Chuck, so be it. You are only making a fool out of yourself. I haven’t heard Piepho puppets since the last time you used that term. And you wonder why we all know it’s you..are you really that stupid or do you just think everyone else is?? You might want to rethink your strategy since the cities are very aware of how the district was handed over with millions in reserve funds and both Brentwood and Oakley demanding local control. Hardly dumped on them John. It’s all public record and no matter how hard you try you cannot change history farm boy. You should try to get over your anger and infatuation with the supervisor. It’s well known that you caused your own situation and have temper control issues which you even demonstrate in your posts. And as for you being stalked, You might want to get checked for paranoia next time you pick up your meds. Piepho supporters or puppets as you call them makeup the majority out here. The gal has handily won three elections which only happens with a majority of support. Yeah you nailed me John, I support good people and subscribe to reality which are concepts that are obviously beyond your personal interests.
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