Marc Spillman, who served on the Lakeport Planning Commission from May 2004 to this past May, resigned from the commission after he was named an alternate on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).
The council voted at the meeting to choose Ken Wicks Jr. to fill the vacancy left by Spillman's resignation.
Before the council heard from the applicants for the seat, Community Development/Redevelopment Director Richard Knoll and Planning Services Manager Andrew Britton honored Spillman for his seven years of service to the city.
“Being a planning commissioner is an awesome responsibility,” said Knoll. “There's a lot involved.”
He said California planning law is complex, and there also are local planning laws at work.
Knoll lauded Spillman, who he said took the job seriously.
“I think the true mark of a good commissioner is someone who does their homework,” including doing site visits, reading documents and being prepared for meetings, Knoll said.
Spillman understands what the public interest means, and always took it into account, according to Knoll, who added that he told Spillman – in jest – that he couldn't leave the commission when the issue was raised.
Britton told the council that during Spillman's seven years on the commission, he served one term as chair and two terms as vice chair.
During his tenure, he made decisions on many important city projects, including Westside Community Park, the downtown improvement plan, the Parkside Subdivision, the Parallel Drive annexation, new building projects at the Bruno's Shopping Center on Lakeport Boulevard and the Tribal Health facility on Bevins, as well as the remodels of the Taco Bell, the Gateway Business Park and the Safeway expansion, Britton said.
While Spillman was on the commission more than $51 million in new construction was added to the city's economy, said Britton, adding that Spillman was conscientious and well-prepared, and made “tremendously valuable” contributions.
Mayor Suzanne Lyons then presented Spillman with a plaque in honor of his service.
Spillman thanked Knoll, Britton and the city. “It kinda feels like maybe this should be the other way around,” he said, explaining that he learned a lot from being on the commission and working with city staff and the public.
He recalled making a decision during his first year that he said he later realized was wrong, and how that decision informed his approach going forward.
Initially, when he approached LAFCO, Spillman thought he could hold down both positions, but later realized he couldn't. He said his heart will always be with the city.
Applicants for Spillman's seat included three men who the council acknowledged were all extremely qualified.
First to introduce himself was Michael Damiata, who grew up in the county. He attended college in Sacramento where he also worked for a time before returning three years ago to raise his children here. With a background in community banking, Damiata and his wife are working with his mother, Janice Maschek, to run her company, Shore Line Realty.
Phil Myers grew up in the Midwest and has experience in engineering, management and planning. He worked at General Dynamics for many years before moving to Lakeport more than five years ago. Since then he has served three terms on the county's civil grand jury and said he was looking forward to more ways of contributing.
Wicks, a construction project manager, grew up in Lake County with family members who had been involved in construction. In recent years he's worked in the Lake Tahoe area but said he came back to be with his family. He said he would bring to the commission a technical understanding of projects.
Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina nominated Damiata but the motion received no second. Councilman Roy Parmentier nominated Wicks, with Councilman Bob Rumfelt seconding. The council voted 4-1, with Mattina voting no.
Councilman Tom Engstrom said any one of the men would have been a great choice.
“I hope we can find something for all of you to do because you're all very well qualified,” Engstrom said.
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