CLEARLAKE, Calif. – More than 100 people crowded into the Clearlake City Council chambers Thursday night to witness a changing of the guard on the council.
The council's meeting, which ran just over an hour, including wrapping up some city business and offering thanks to city employees for their efforts this year before offering goodbyes to retiring Councilmen Roy Simons and Chuck Leonard.
But it was the swearing in toward the meeting's end of Jeri Spittler and Joey Luiz that appeared to have drawn most of the people in the room.
Spittler and Luiz led a field of nine candidates in the Nov. 2 general election. Spittler received 1,038 votes, or 20.1 percent, and Luiz took 873 ballots, or 16.9 percent.
Among those in the crowd were District Attorney-Elect Don Anderson; Jim Comstock, Jeff Smith, Anthony Farrington and Denise Rushing of the county Board of Supervisors; retired county Supervisor Ed Robey; and retired Judge Richard Freeborn.
“Tonight will be about appreciation, goodbyes and new beginnings,” said Mayor Judy Thein.
During the first half of the meeting, Thein offered certificates of appreciation and thanks to city employees in various departments, including city hall administrative staff, public works and the police department.
“They've been asked to do more with fewer resources,” she said. “They never complained.”
Thein said the city's employees are “the best of the best.”
Public Works Director Doug Herren, in receiving a certificate on behalf of his staff, said he has four staffers who maintain 150 miles of city streets. “I'm not the one that deserve credit, they do.”
City Clerk Melissa Swanson received the certificate on behalf of city hall staff, noting they all work very hard to provide the same level of service with many fewer employees.
Allan McClain, the retiring police chief and the interim city administrator, accepted the certificate for his staff, telling the audience, “They work very hard to try to ensure that what you folks need is provided.”
He said it's been a tough year, with cuts in staff and resources. The department is like family, he said. “When we lose somebody, it touches us deeply.”
Thein then called Simons and Leonard forward to thank them.
She said Simons has given them “a wild and colorful ride” for four years.
“I'll just apologize by saying, 'I won't do it again,'” Simons quipped.
He said it has been an experience serving, and there have been tough times. But he added, “Times will get better.”
Referring to Spittler and Luiz, he said the two new council members “look like they're eager to make it go,” and he wished them all the luck in the world.
“Chuck and I are goin' fishin',” he said.
Thein then thanked Leonard, who she said had taken the high road and worked hard on behalf of the city.
He thanked the city's employees for their work and his wife for her support of him for 42 years.
Thein then presented a plaque to Vice Mayor Joyce Overton, who made her way to the podium on crutches due to an injured foot.
Overton thanked the community for the opportunity to sit on the council. She said she thinks they'll be seeing some moving and shaking with the addition of Spittler and Luiz.
“I look forward to the next two years that I get to serve,” she said.
Overton presented Thein with a plaque thanking her for her third year as mayor. “She's really put a lot into working int the community,” Overton said.
Thein said the mayor's job is a full-time commitment, but it brings with it many special rewards, including friendships.
She also offered a plaque of appreciation to McClain, whose retirement becomes effective Dec. 31 after three and a half years with the city.
Thein told McClain, “Not every chief could have done what you could,” explaining he worked with virtually no money due to budget constraints and stood strong in the face of criticism.
He was active in the community, kept an open door policy to everyone and helped build Team DUI, which teaches young people about the dangers of drinking and driving. Thein wished him and his wife a happy retirement in Hawaii.
“It's been my greatest honor and pleasure to serve the people of Clearlake,” said McClain.
“As a community we have not always agreed about the direction we took,” he said, adding he always did what he thought was right, because his father raised him to stand by his beliefs.
Just because you don't agree with someone doesn't mean you can't work with them, he said.
“I believe as a community that is where we are at,” said McClain, explaining that they have to find common ground in order to arrive at where they want to be in the future.
The department made mistakes in the past, and those proved his biggest hurdle, as McClain said people tended to point backward rather than forward.
He said he hoped the new council would be able to take the community where it wanted to be, because he said Clearlake has potential to be a great community and a great place to raise children.
“All we need is the direction and the leadership to get us there, and we can make it,” he said.
He also asked the community to give the council the time and the direction to get the city there.
McClain then thanked his wife and family for supporting his 30-year career.
Following the presentations, the council received public comment from several community members, including some who congratulated the new council members.
City resident Janice Cooper spoke to the council to introduce them to a new group called Citizens for the Prosperous Growth of Clearlake. She extended her congratulations to the new council members and thanks to those who were retiring.
The group's goal, Cooper said, is to support the council's efforts to lead the city into prosperity. She stated that creating jobs and revenue, and preventing retail leakage through the development of a regional shopping center will achieve that goal of the city being successful.
Attorney Robert Riggs urged the council to hold a Brown Act workshop for its members and for the public, noting that he's asked County Counsel Anita Grant if she would be willing to lead it, and she said yes. The county would have to charge $100 so that her help wouldn't be a gift of public funds, but Riggs said several community members have offered to cover the cost.
During the brief consent calendar discussion, Leonard found a mistake in the minutes for a meeting.
“What am I going to do without you?” Swanson asked. She also asked if he would come proofread her work after he retires.
After approving the consent agenda Simons and Leonard stepped down from their chairs.
Swanson then stood by as Spittler and Luiz took their oaths and were seated on the dais.
During the council reorganization, Luiz nominated Overton to be mayor. No other nominations for the spot were offered, and the motion was approved 3-2, with Thein and Giambruno voting no.
Overton nominated Luiz for vice mayor. Again, there was no competing nomination, and the motion was approved 3-2, with Thein and Giambruno voting no.
Council members gave brief reports before adjourning into closed session to discuss appointments to the police chief and interim city administrator jobs.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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