A contentious city council meeting last night. The only Twentynine Palms City Council meeting this month was expected to be strictly celebratory and ceremonial, with fond goodbyes to departing members and hearty welcomes to newcomers. Reporter Dan Stork says it didn’t turn out that way, exactly…
Before John Cole, McArthur Wright, and Dan Mintz were sworn in as Twentynine Palms City Council members, and while the “old” Council was still in office, Cora Heiser pulled from the consent agenda an item that had been discussed extensively at the previous meeting. On November 14, the Council, by a 3-2 vote, had overridden a Planning Commission decision to require an Environmental Impact Report for an apartment complex planned for near the Condor entrance to the Marine Base. The purpose of the consent item was to finalize the language in that decision. Jay Corbin, who along with Heiser and Jim Harris had been the majority in the earlier 3-2 vote, introduced a 2-page list of “findings” to include with the measure, most of which were about ways in which Corbin felt the Marine Corps had tried to obstruct the housing project, and which were mentioned at the previous meeting. During a lengthy recess, city attorney Patrick Munoz and Interim Development Director Jim Hamilton considered Corbin’s additions, which neither they nor the other Council members had seen prior to this meeting. Then Munoz said that the findings added nothing material to the measure. Corbin disagreed, and with the support of Heiser and Harris, succeeded in revising the item.
Heiser also pulled the consent item that finalized the contract of Larry Bowden as Acting City Manager in order to highlight the pay rate of $65.33 per hour, for a 40-hour week, with no pay for overtime, covering his new duties as City Manager as well as his current city staff job. (The last two Interim City Managers were paid $100 per hour, for 20-hour positions.)
After Corbin and Harris left the room, along with ¾ of the public attendees, and were replaced by Cole and Wright, new officers were chosen. Cora Heiser was next in line to be mayor, but declined the honor, so the Council chose Joel Klink for the position. Then Dan Mintz was nominated to be Mayor Pro Tem; Heiser expressed disappointment that she didn’t get the Pro Tem nod, but joined in the unanimous vote for Mintz.
In other business, the old Council heard an update on the New Bridge educational program for Joshua Tree National Park, for which the City had provided land for a residential camp. Southern California Edison representative Jennifer Cusack said that a pilot program for installing LED streetlights was being cancelled, and general use of the new technology would be phased in over 5 to 10 years, as LED prices come down.
In his final acts as mayor, Dan Mintz delivered a State of the City address, extolling accomplishments in Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Community Development, and art, and announcing a budget surplus of $400,000 for the year. He also presented the award for Employee of the Year to City Clerk Cindy Villescas and the Mayor’s Recognition Award for a citizen to Laurie Cosgriff.
A CONTENTIOUS CHANGING OF THE GUARD FOR THE TWENTYNINE PALMS CITY COUNCIL
