Supervisors To Appoint GCSD Board Member
Tuolumne County Supervisors are stepping in to solve a deadlock within the Groveland Community Services District board of directors that has literally stopped the agency for functioning.
Supervisors this morning decided to take the matter on and appoint a new board member for a vacant GCSD board seat rather than having the community hold a expensive special election, estimated to cost the county about $5,500 to hold.
The board seat left vacant by resigned GCSD director Spencer Edwards has caused a voting deadlock split among the remaining four board members.
GCSD President Don Myers told the supervisors he would prefer to have the voters decide who will fill the vacant seat on the board. He admitted that the board is split 2-to-2 and that the current deadlock “could cause a problem,” and that a critical issue coming before the board “could create a problem.”
The supervisors seemed to feel the deadlock is already causing problems, even with the GCSD trying to decide who will fill the vacant seat.
“If I detect if there really is a rift, I think we should go ahead and appoint somebody,” Board of Supervisor’s Chair Laurie Sylwester said at the outset of the board’s investigating the matter.
After some discussion, the supervisors decided to fill the vacant spot with an appointee selected by them next week.
“This board has got to stand up and say Groveland’s got to move on,” Sylwester said.
Groveland Area Supervisor Mark Thornton said it´s not new for the supervisors to appoint someone to a county agency.
“I totally agree that I would prefer for the electorate to weigh in on this issue,” Thornton said, “but it will only divide that community to have an election, even if a special election is held in March.”
If it was possible to place the issue on the November ballot, which it is not, Thornton said he would be all for putting it to the voters.
A public notice of the vacancy will go out today and interviews for the GCSD board seat will be conducted, and a top candidate announced, next Tuesday afternoon during the supervisor’s regular meeting time.
