The Encinitas City Council has chosen dozens of new representatives for eight city advisory boards.
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Thirty-one spots on city commissions and committees needed filling, and city employees said they had a stunning number of applicants. Even spots that have been hard to fill in the past, such as the city’s Senior Commission, had nine hopefuls seeking five spots.
Deputy City Clerk Pete Weichers called the situation “unprecedented” and council members praised the depth of talent available in Encinitas. It’s an “embarrassment of riches,” Mayor Bruce Ehlers said of the candidate pool, declaring many applicants were overqualified.
Some audience members said part of the new surge in applicants was due to having a new majority on the City Council following the 2024 election. Supporters of the new mayor and three new council members now are seeking commission spots, they said.
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During their comments, the mayor and the new council members said they wanted to keep national political divisions out of the evening’s debate. Councilmember Marco San Antonio told the crowd that he was a registered Republican, but “I’m not here for that national party, I’m here for Encinitas.”
Councilmember Jim O’Hara said he thought some people making negative statements were previously involved in political campaigns that lost and now they “want to shred the council.”
Ultimately, the council voted to:
- Reappoint incumbent Robert Prendergast and newcomers Bridget Kimball and Michael Quinn to the Planning Commission. Those votes were unanimous.
- Install three new members — John Eldon, Mary Ellen (Molly) Hintlian and Leigh Ratcliffe — to the Mobility & Traffic Safety Commission. That vote was unanimous.
- Reappoint three people who were appointed to partial terms last year — Steven Cesnauskas, Sergio Mora and Harriet Seldin — plus appoint new member Donnette Poole to the Public Health & Safety Commission. That vote was unanimous.
- Reappoint incumbent Carol Parker and appoint newcomer Kosta Kalamaras to the Environmental Commission. The vote was 3-2, with Ehlers and Councilmember Joy Lyndes opposed. They said they wanted to pick Parker and applicant Dennis Lougeay.
- Reappoint incumbents Vicki Campbell and Jennifer Marakovits, and appoint newcomers Chris Cote and Beverly Goodman to the Commission for the Arts. Those votes, done separately, were unanimous.
- Reappoint incumbents Georg Capielo and Julie Van der Auwera, and appoint newcomers Jordan Blimbaum, David (Dave) Dean and Jeffrey Horton to the Parks & Recreation Commission. The vote was 3-2 with Councilmembers Jim O’Hara and Marco San Antonio opposed.
- Reappoint incumbents Karen Koblentz and Lambert Ling, and appoint newcomers Karen Kaden, Kristen Smith and Julie Thunder to the Senior Citizen Commission. The vote was 4-1, with Lyndes voting no.
- Reappoint incumbents Matthew Altman and Brad Lefkowits, and appoint newcomers Steven Houbeck, Laura Lisauskas and Elena Thompson to the Urban Forest Advisory Committee. The vote was unanimous.
To view the candidates’ applications, visit: https://encinitas.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&event_id=5383&meta_id=198967
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