San Anselmo Council Expected to Pick New Member Tonight

Tonight the San Anselmo Town Council is expected to pick its newest member, who will fill the vacancy created when former Councilwoman Lori Lopin resigned in February.

The council interviewed applicants for the position at the April 9 council meeting. The appointee will serve from May 2013 to November 2013, when the seat will be placed on the ballot. The seats of Mayor Kay Coleman, Vice Mayor Jeff Kroot and Councilman Tom McInerney will also be on the November ballot.

The council will meet tonight, at 7 p.m., at the San Anselmo Council Chambers. 

The four applicants for the vacant San Anselmo seat are:

• Stephen Burdo, a 5-year San Anselmo resident who is a public affairs consultant. He is a member of the Marin County elections advisory committee, San Anselmo Parks and Recreation Commission, a board member of the Marin County Young Democrats and member of the Marin County Democratic Central Committee. He said he would focus on flood mitigation, increasing access to town council affairs and increasing the number of town programs and volunteer opportunities offered to older San Anselmo residents. Burdo also is the assistant football coach at San Rafael High School.
• Liz Dahlgren, a 15-year resident and consultant, said she would attract and retrain small businesses to San Anselmo, “enhance and maintain the charm and family oriented lifestyle of the community,” and “provide swifter decision making and implementation.” She has served on the town’s library tax advisory committee and financial advisory committee.
• Doug Kelly, a business owner who has been on the town’s Park and Recreation Committee for six years. Kelly, a 17-year resident, has coached West Marin Little League and San Anselmo baseball for seven years and volunteered to help town's “Yes on Measure A committee.” He said he would work to create a San Anselmo community center and nonprofit organization, bring new businesses to lower San Anselmo Avenue and improve the town’s streets and public transportation facilities.
• Chris Livermore, an executive in technology and finance and 7-year San Anselmo resident. He is a member of the San Anselmo town finance committee, president of the Ross Valley soccer, president of the Redwood Trust Employee Foundation and member of the St. Anselm School advisory board. He said he would partner with local businesses and town agencies to reduce expenses and add service offerings, address vacancies downtown and introduce philanthropic opportunities for residents to participate in.

See the complete applications for each of the residents on the town’s website here.

Lopin resigned due to family and health issues, according to San Anselmo Town Manager Debbie Stutsman.

FAIRFAX COUNCIL ADDRESSES VACANCIES

The neighboring Fairfax Town Council has also had council vacancies to fill. 

Earlier this month, the council appointed resident Renee Goddard to the council seat that has been vacant since Ryan O’Neil resigned in February. 

The council will fill another vacancy in May because former Councilwoman Pam Hartwell resigned on April 9.

Fairfax has re-opened the application process in case anyone else wants to apply, but the council will also consider the applicants who applied for O’Neil’s seat.

If there are less than three new applicants, the candidates will be interviewed before the next Fairfax council meeting, set for Wednesday, May 1. The council will decide which applicant to appoint at the same meeting. If there are more than three new applicants, the council will hold a special meeting for interviews.

The future resident to fill Hartwell’s vacancy will, similarly to Goddard, serve on the council until the seat is placed on the November ballot.

Two other seats on the Fairfax council — those occupied by Vice Mayor David Weinsoff and Mayor John Reed — will also be on the ballot, meaning four of the five council seats will be up for election.

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