2012/08/22 City Council Minutes
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING
OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
City Council
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Rohnert Park Community Center, Conference Room
5401 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park, California
1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
Mayor Mackenzie called the City Council special meeting to order at 10:00 a.m., the notice for which
being legally noticed on August 20,2012.
Present: Jake Mackenzie, Mayor
Pam Stafford, Vice Mayor
Amy Ahanotu, Council Member
Joseph Callinan, Council Member
Absent: Gina Belforte, Council Member
Staff present: City Manager Gonzalez, Assistant City Attorney Barnhill, Deputy City Clerk
Willis and Director of Public Works and Community Services McArthur.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Led by Mayor Mackenzie.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Barbara Mackenzie identified herself as the wife of Mayor Mackenzie and stated that she is glad
to potentially not have the duties of running for an election.
4. APPOINTMENTS TO THE OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL AND CANCELATION OF
THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION
City Manager Gonzalez presented the item; Assistant City Attorney Barnhill, reminded City
Council that voting to appoint Council Members Belforte, Callinan, and Mackenzie and cancel
the election has the potential, conflict of interest because of "personal financial effect" on those
Council Members (by virtue of incurring or avoiding campaign/election costs), and advised that
all three nominated incumbents disqualify themselves from participating in the decision on the
resolution. Doing so will leave only two Council Members to act, which is less than a quorum.
Thus, it will be necessary to follow the procedure for choosing an otherwise disqualified City
Council Member to participate in the decision in order to constitute a quorum.
Pursuant to the rule of necessity to establish a quorum, Deputy City Clerk Willis randomly selected
Mayor Mackenzie to participate. Council Member Callinan stated the existence of the potential
conflict of interest and left the Council Meeting at 10:04 a.m.
Mayor Mackenzie stated the existence of the potential conflicts as follows:
1. Disclosed that voting on the resolution poses a potential conflict of interest because it could
have "a personal financial effect" on him.
2. Disclosed that because the decision to appoint the nominated incumbents must be set by
Council resolution and the three Council Members are the only nominees in the upcoming
election, there is no alternative source of decision.
Assistant City Attorney Barnhill stated that Council can either make a decision to appoint the
nominated incumbents or proceed with the election.
ACTION:
Moved/seconded (Stafford/Ahanotu) to Adopt Resolution 2012-96 approving and
adopting the Resolution of the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park providing
for the appointment of the only nominees to the offices of this City that were to be
elected Tuesday, November 6, 2012, canceling the General Municipal Election
currently scheduled for November 6, 2012, and requesting the Board of
Supervisors of the County of Sonoma to take all steps required to remove said
election from the consolidated election scheduled for that date.
Mayor Mackenzie stated for the record, this is the 1st time in Rohnert Park history
to cancel the election.
Motion carried 3-0-2 (Belforte and Callinan absent).
5. ADJOURNMENT of City Council Special Meeting
Mayor Mackenzie adjourned the special meeting at 10:08 am.
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Carrie Willis, Deputy City Clerk
City of Rohnert Park