Dear council members,
I noticed that there are a lot of commission openings coming up this month, and that the city has been encouraging people to
apply.
I've also noticed that when sitting commissioners apply for a second four-year term, they typically are reappointed. In fact, this
is such a norm that *not* reappointing someone to a commission can be seen as a slap or judgment.
So I have a request, on behalf of citizens eager to engage:
Can you consider modifying the commission appointment process in one of the following ways?
1) Advertise commission vacancies–but alert citizens to the fact that x of the vacancies are likely to be filled by
reappointments. In some cases, x is 100%.
This way people can gauge how much time to spend on an application, or whether they want to apply at all, knowing that it could be
a pointless exercise (and for that matter, asking seated commissioners to fill out an application for renewal when we all know
that they are likely to be reappointed *also* feels like a waste of everyone's time.)
or
2) Change the norm by fully considering every application you receive, even if there is an existing commissioner who wishes to
re-up. After all, you have to run for your council seats every 4 years. It's not crazy to do the same thing with the commissions.
We all know incumbents have advantages–knowing the system and so forth–but I personally know a few good people who have wanted to
serve and been denied the chance, multiple times. If we tell people that they shouldn't run for office before they've been seated
on a commission then we should ensure that there are more real opportunities to serve.
Disclaimer: I really enjoy my fellow commissioners and would happily serve with them until the end of time. I also fully plan to
reapply when my first term is up, and I'll probably be bummed if you don't reappoint me. But I'm also uncomfortably aware of how
opaque the process appears from the outside, and of how disappointing it is for someone to pour their effort into an application,
only to see reappointments fill the spots without any real discussion.
Thank you for your consideration.
Warm regards,
Katie
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Katie Behroozi
650.804.1812 (cell)
