Zone 7 Meeting - May 2, 2019

Call Zone 7 Water Agency Meeting to Order

Open Session and Pledge of Allegiance

Citizens Forum

Candidate Interviews - Vacancy on Board of Directors

Appointment of Director

Adjournment


MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ZONE 7

ALAMEDA COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT


SPECIAL MEETING

May 2, 2019

The following were present:

DIRECTORS: SANDS FIGUERS

DENNIS GAMBS

SARAH PALMER

RICHARD QUIGLEY

ANGELA RAMIREZ HOLMES

OLIVIA SANWONG

DIRECTORS ABSENT: NONE

ZONE 7 STAFF: VALERIE PRYOR, GENERAL MANAGER

OSBORN SOLITEI, TREASURER/ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER,

FINANCE

DONNA FABIAN, ACTING BOARD SECRETARY

GENERAL COUNSEL: DAVID ALADJEM, DOWNEY BRAND

Item 1 -

Call Zone 7 Water Agency Meeting to Order

President Ramirez Holmes called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

Item 2 -

Open Session and Pledge of Allegiance

President Ramirez Holmes led a Salute to the Flag.

Item 3 -

Citizens Forum

- none.

Item 4 -

Candidate Interviews - Vacancy on Board of Directors

- Vacancy on Board of Directors

President Ramirez Holmes stated that the purpose of the Special Meeting was to interview and make an appointment to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors created when former Director Bill Stevens resigned in March. Valerie Pryor stated that the vacancy was widely advertised through the Zone 7 website, retailer websites, the Zone 7 eNewsletter, and newspaper articles. She added fourteen people submitted letters of interest in the Board position and staff verified that all of the candidates were eligible for the position. Ms. Pryor then stated that Matt Morrison and Sylvia Tian withdrew their applications. President Ramirez Holmes announced that the Board would listen to a three-minute statement by each of the 12 candidates in alphabetical order, Olivia Angus, Rich Buckley, Alan Burnham, Alfred Exner, Laurene Green, Jim Horen, Naveed Khan, Anne Olson, Michelle Smith McDonald, Robert Tucknott, Niki Wente and Randy Werner. She stated that the Board Secretary would monitor the time restrictions. Following the opening statements, there would be public comment. After public comment, the Board would take a break, and then choose their top four candidates to move forward in the interview process where the candidates would be interviewed for approximately 15 minutes each.

Following the statements of the 12 applicants, the meeting was open to the public. Three people spoke in favor of Michelle Smith McDonald. The Board took a 10-minute break after public comment. The Board members individually indicated their top 4 choices and David Aladjem tallied the results. The top four candidates were Alan Burnham, Laurene Green, Jim Horen and Michelle Smith McDonald. President Ramirez Holmes thanked all applicants and asked the four remaining candidates to move to a conference room where they would stay until called for their interview. The four candidates were interviewed with the same set of questions and with a 15-minute time limit.

Item 5 -

Appointment of Director

Following the interviews of the four candidates, the Board reduced the number to the two top candidates, Jim Horen and Michelle Smith McDonald. After a discussion regarding the top two candidates and on a motion from President Ramirez Holmes, seconded by Director Palmer, Michelle Smith McDonald was proposed as a Director to fulfill the remaining year of the term vacated by Bill Stevens, for which an election would be held in March 2020 to fill the remaining two years. The motion passed by a vote of 6-0.

The Board expressed thanks to the candidates who had participated in the process, noting the Agency had been fortunate to have a number of excellent candidates apply, and the decision by the Board to appoint a new member had not been easy.

Item 6 -

Adjournment

President Ramirez Holmes adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m.