Deadlock puts Raggio seat on ballot

 The Angels Camp City Council will stay one member short until after the Nov. 3 election.

The four council members remaining after the death of Councilman Paul Raggio deadlocked Tuesday on votes for three of the five candidates who applied for Raggio’s vacant seat. The votes came after council members drew chips from a bag that determined the order in which they could nominate applicants. The process was designed to improve upon the one used to fill the last vacancy about a year and a half ago.
  

No such luck.

The process used in February 2008 may not be recalled fondly in the city, but at least it produced an appointee. Jack Boeding was eventually chosen from among five candidates to fill out the last 10 months of Norm Price’s term after Price moved to the Sacramento area. Boeding was re-elected last fall.

Judging by the grumbling among a packed audience at the city’s Joe Carley Memorial Firehouse for Tuesday’s meeting, the appointment process needs some more tweaking.

Councilman Craig Turco first nominated Donnie Brooksher, citing admiration for “his thought process and ability to articulate his thoughts.” Turco and Mayor Jack Lynch voted in favor of the appointment. Vice Mayor Jack Boeding and Councilwoman Elaine Morris voted no.

Boeding nominated former Councilman Jack Johnson. He and Morris voted for him and Turco and Lynch voted against.

Morris gave Rick Downey a try, noting his “common-sense approach.” Again, she and Boeding said yes while Lynch and Turco said no.

The process thus eliminated applicants Anne Forrest and George Fry.

A sixth applicant, Steve Gonzalez, was not present for the meeting.

After a second round of votes that went the exact same way, the agreed-upon process left the decision up to voters in the fall.

Several attendees then criticized the process and the cost of conducting an election. The irony of the indecision carrying a price tag after applicants and council members repeatedly touted “fiscal responsibility” was not lost on the public.

“It seems to me this process (only) works well if there’s only a few candidates,” said John Broeder, who lamented the fact that no room was left to consider either Fry or Forrest as compromise candidates.

Johnson offered to withdraw his application if it helped in reaching a decision. It did not.

“I hate to see us spend money we don’t have,” he said.

Michele Lee’s turn at the microphone chastised the council for taking money out of taxpayers’ pockets with a $210,000 budget shortfall already projected.

“Is it worth $5,000 to $10,000?” Lee asked.