[0:03] Good morning everyone. The Hillsboro
[0:06] City Council meeting is called to order.
[0:08] This is a spe special city council
[0:10] meeting and city clerk, may we please
[0:11] have the roll call.
[0:14] >> Thank you. Mayor Cole Adams
[0:17] >> present. Jang
[0:19] >> present.
[0:19] >> Collic
[0:20] >> present.
[0:21] >> Ragdale
[0:22] >> present.
[0:23] >> Cole
[0:24] >> present.
[0:25] >> Thank you. Um for the record um Vice
[0:28] Mayor Ragdale is joining us by
[0:30] teleconference uh remotely
[0:33] and all the appropriate all the
[0:35] appropriate [clears throat] technical
[0:36] and legal steps have been addressed with
[0:38] regards to her joining us remotely. Um
[0:42] today we will be addressing um the
[0:44] consideration of an appointment of two
[0:47] city council members versus proceeding
[0:50] with uh an election for these council
[0:52] members. And may we um please could you
[0:56] please stand to join me in the pledge
[0:58] allegiance
[1:03] flag
[1:07] » to the
[1:10] one nation under God indivisible with
[1:13] liberty and justice for
[1:21] » me Rexdale I hope it's at least daytime
[1:23] where you are [laughter]
[1:25] >> it is it is a perfect time. It's 5
[1:27] o'clock. Thank you.
[1:31] >> All right. Um we will proceed to the
[1:33] public comments on items that are not on
[1:36] the agenda. Um do we have any public
[1:38] comments from for items not on the
[1:40] agenda?
[1:41] >> Thank you, Mayor Cole. No public
[1:43] comment.
[1:44] >> Okay. And um I will close public
[1:46] comment. And the next item, do any coun
[1:49] council members have a conflict of
[1:51] interest they may need to disclose
[1:52] related to item the one item that's on
[1:55] the agenda?
[1:57] Seeing none, um we will then proceed
[2:01] with the new business, which is the
[2:03] consideration of resolution appointing
[2:05] Jeff Baxter and Leslie Morgan Ragsdale
[2:08] to the town of Hillsboro City Council.
[2:11] And this will be presented by our city
[2:13] clerk, Lisa Natush.
[2:17] Thank you, Mayor Cole, Vice Mayor
[2:19] Ragsdale, and council members.
[2:22] Uh, so, uh, as you know, the city
[2:24] council adopted resolutions in June to
[2:27] call the election in November to fill
[2:29] two seats. Um those resolutions included
[2:32] um consolidating the election with the
[2:35] statewide general election, requesting
[2:37] the services of the county, uh and
[2:39] establishing regulations regarding the
[2:41] candidate statements.
[2:44] Administration of the election process
[2:46] is requires adherence to the noticing
[2:49] requirements and timelines in the
[2:51] California elections code and the
[2:54] election is budgeted in the uh 2627
[2:58] adopted budget and for the costs
[3:00] associated with the election which
[3:02] includes uh the county services,
[3:04] supplies, legal advertising and
[3:07] translation.
[3:10] The nomination period opened July 13th
[3:12] at 8 a.m. and closed on Friday, August
[3:15] 7th at 12 p.m. Uh because an incumbent
[3:19] didn't file by the end of the initial
[3:22] nomination period uh on Friday, August
[3:24] 7th at noon, the nomination period was
[3:27] extended to Wednesday the 12th at 5:00
[3:29] p.m.
[3:33] Uh just a note on the election noticing
[3:36] and outreach that was done. So we have
[3:38] some requirements per the election code.
[3:40] Um and so as you know the the council
[3:43] took action on June 8th and then there
[3:46] was a notice of election that was posted
[3:49] uh on town bulletin boards published in
[3:51] the daily journal and other required
[3:53] newspapers translated as well. And then
[3:56] we did additional outreach and noticing
[3:59] and there was anformational handout
[4:01] posted about uh for for potential
[4:04] candidates if they were interested in
[4:06] running for the election early this
[4:08] year. The notice of election was
[4:10] additionally posted on the town website.
[4:12] We had information in the uh city
[4:15] manager town update at the council
[4:17] meetings. We had articles in the weekly
[4:19] bulletin regarding the nomination period
[4:21] and the notice of the extended
[4:23] nomination period was posted on bulletin
[4:25] boards and on the town website.
[4:30] So, uh we're here today um because at
[4:32] the close of that nomination, the
[4:34] extended nomination period on August
[4:36] 12th at 5, we had two nominees for the
[4:39] two seats, Jeff Baxter and Leslie Martin
[4:42] Ragdale. So, at this time, the council
[4:45] has uh two options. To appoint the two
[4:49] individuals that were nominated uh or
[4:52] not appoint the nominees and just
[4:53] proceed with the election on November
[4:55] 3rd.
[4:59] So, this timeline outlines where we are.
[5:03] We had the extended nomination period on
[5:05] the 12th. Um, and at that time, um,
[5:08] because we ended up with the two, uh,
[5:10] candidates for the two seats, uh, one of
[5:12] the requirements of the election code is
[5:14] that I present a certificate of the
[5:16] facts that we had the two candidates for
[5:18] the two seats, provide that to the city
[5:20] council at the close of the nomination
[5:22] period, which was done just after 5:00
[5:25] p.m. on the 12th. [clears throat] I must
[5:27] prepare a notice of those facts as well,
[5:30] and publish that in a newspaper. And so
[5:33] I did that on Friday the 14th, the
[5:36] soonest we could get it in the paper
[5:37] following that close of the nomination
[5:40] period on the 12th. We additionally
[5:42] posted it on our bulletin boards and on
[5:45] the website immediately following the
[5:47] close of the nomination period on the
[5:48] 12th. We posted the notice of this
[5:51] meeting on um the Friday of uh August
[5:56] 14th as well. And then the requirements
[5:58] of the election code require that this
[6:01] meeting can only be held follow after
[6:03] the fifth day following the publication
[6:06] of um the notice of facts that we have
[6:09] the two candidates for the two seats. So
[6:11] that's why we're meeting today, August
[6:13] 20th, which is also the last day that
[6:16] the council can make a decision
[6:17] regarding uh whether or not they would
[6:20] like to uh appoint the two candidates or
[6:22] just proceed with the election.
[6:25] Um so if the um so following this
[6:28] meeting um I would need to um let the
[6:31] county know immediately whether or not
[6:34] um or what the council's decision is. Um
[6:36] and so that's why we've scheduled this
[6:38] meeting uh early in the morning so that
[6:40] we have plenty of time to let the county
[6:41] know what um how we're going to proceed.
[6:47] So, if the council decides to appoint
[6:49] the nominees,
[6:51] um Jeff Baxter and Leslie Martin Ragdale
[6:53] would take office December 14th. Um I
[6:58] would not be able to accept writing
[7:00] candidates during the write in uh
[7:02] candidate filing period. I'll talk more
[7:04] about that in a moment.
[7:06] Um, I would forward a certified copy of
[7:09] the resolution that's before you um to
[7:12] appoint the nominees um to the county
[7:13] immediately following this meeting. And
[7:16] then there would be a savings uh in the
[7:18] budget of approximately 43,000 to 51,000
[7:23] um for the cost of the county services
[7:26] to administer the election. So that
[7:28] includes um you know mailing of the
[7:30] ballots and everything required to
[7:32] administer the election with the county.
[7:34] And then that also includes the cost of
[7:37] the additional uh noticing translation
[7:41] uh that's required for uh the the ele
[7:44] the November 3rd election. To date,
[7:47] we've spent about 3,300 in supplies
[7:50] required noticing and translation.
[7:54] If the council proceeds to hold the
[7:56] election, uh Jeff Baxter and Leslie
[7:58] Martin Ragdale's names would appear on
[8:00] the November 3rd ballot uh with their
[8:02] ballot designations and their candidate
[8:04] statements in the voter information
[8:06] guide.
[8:08] Required noticing would be completed.
[8:11] Um write the writing candidates would uh
[8:14] be able to obtain nominate nomination
[8:16] documents from me um and file during
[8:19] that writing period which is September
[8:21] 7th through October 20th. Uh write in
[8:24] candidates need to obtain a nomination
[8:27] paper from MIME. Um they have to file a
[8:29] statement of write in candidacy. Um they
[8:32] have to file a form 700. Um so it's very
[8:35] similar to the process for a candidate
[8:37] who files during the regular nomination
[8:40] period. Um they have to get 20
[8:42] signatures. Um the difference is they
[8:45] don't get the option to have a ballot
[8:46] designation because they're not going to
[8:48] appear, you know, listed in the ballot.
[8:50] They don't get the option for a
[8:52] candidate statement.
[8:54] So, what happens with a qualified
[8:56] writing candidate, they turn in all of
[8:58] the documents back to me during that
[9:00] write-in period. Anyone who writes their
[9:03] name down uh in that blank line that
[9:05] you'd see underneath names on the uh
[9:08] underneath the the names that are listed
[9:09] on the ballot, their name would be
[9:11] counted. Um and it just has to be
[9:13] written um close enough to the spelling
[9:16] of the name. So, um, if their name is
[9:19] John Smith, as long as it's spelled very
[9:22] closely to John Smith, it will be
[9:24] counted. Uh, but they have to have been
[9:26] qualified as a candidate with that with
[9:28] the city clerk in order to be counted.
[9:31] Um, and so then of course, um, if the
[9:33] election is held, those election costs
[9:35] would be spent in the budget. Um, and
[9:38] I'll speak to the range really quick
[9:40] that that was listed. Um, when we get a quote from the county for
[9:44] the cost of the election, they give us a
[9:46] range. Obviously, it's challenging for
[9:48] them to to uh give us an a really close
[9:51] estimate. Um, the range is based on so
[9:53] many factors as you can imagine. Uh,
[9:56] there who's how many cities are
[9:58] participating in the election, how many
[10:00] candidates there are on the ballot. Um,
[10:02] a number of factors uh contribute. So,
[10:04] we really don't know exactly what that
[10:06] cost is going to be from the county
[10:07] until we get the invoice uh following
[10:09] the election, which is sometime usually
[10:11] January through March after the
[10:13] election.
[10:16] So, at this time, uh we're just asking
[10:19] council to consider the options to
[10:20] either adopt the resolution appointing
[10:22] the two candidates um or take no action
[10:25] to appoint and we and uh proceed with
[10:29] the election. So, happy to take your
[10:32] questions. Thank you, Lisa Natush. Um I
[10:36] will um ask the council for um any
[10:39] clarifying questions they have for city
[10:41] clerk and staff regarding the process.
[10:47] No questions from the Oh, I'm sorry. Um
[10:51] Vice Mayor Rex, I miss having you right
[10:53] sitting right next to me here. Um Vice
[10:56] Mayor Rexdale, please proceed. Yes.
[10:58] >> Thank you so much. And um please let me
[11:01] know if I'm being too loud or too soft
[11:03] because I did put on the air um AirPods
[11:06] with the noise cancelling. So I'm not
[11:08] sure which way I'm going here. Um I just
[11:11] uh two things. One, I just want to thank
[11:13] Lisa for all of her work uh thus far on
[11:16] the election. There's so many boxes to
[11:19] check and dates to keep track of. And um
[11:22] as a candidate, I've been just so so
[11:25] appreciative of um both Lisa and
[11:28] Margaret. Um, and then a question I had
[11:30] uh is for um Christopher Diaz. I just
[11:34] wanted to confirm that as a candidate I
[11:36] am allowed to participate in this
[11:39] deliberation and vote.
[11:42] >> Yeah, thank you for the question, Vice
[11:43] Mayor Regale. Um, yes, you are correct.
[11:45] There's no affirmative authority out
[11:46] there that concludes it's a conflict of
[11:48] interest for a candidate or incumbent uh
[11:51] to basically approve the resolution or
[11:53] adopt the resolution appointing them to
[11:54] the council. So, yes, you can proceed u
[11:57] by voting today.
[11:59] Thank you.
[12:01] >> Thank you. Um, any additional questions
[12:03] from the council? Um, council member
[12:05] Adams.
[12:06] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. This is a
[12:09] question that Christopher you may not
[12:11] have an answer for. Uh, in the I'm
[12:15] pretty familiar with the history of
[12:16] Hillsboro and I don't recall a write-in
[12:19] candidate uh attaining a position on the
[12:23] council. How frequently is a write-in
[12:27] candidate elected
[12:30] without within the state of California?
[12:33] >> That's a great question and I would also
[12:34] ask Lisa if she has any thoughts on this
[12:36] one because she's probably seeing it um
[12:38] uh from this position and also her prior
[12:40] positions. Um in my recollection as a
[12:43] city attorney and I've been a city
[12:44] attorney now for uh 13 years and then
[12:46] obviously been an assistant city
[12:48] attorney before that for 10 years. Um
[12:50] none of the jurisdictions I've worked
[12:51] for have had a successful writing
[12:53] candidate. Um, but I know it's happened
[12:55] in certain circumstances, but I couldn't
[12:57] point out one for you just in my
[12:59] experience.
[13:02] >> And same answer for me. I' I've never
[13:03] heard of it happening. I did confirm
[13:05] with the county that they've never had a
[13:07] successful write in candidate for a city
[13:10] council seat.
[13:13] >> Thank you.
[13:14] >> Any additional questions for the um C
[13:17] for my council members? Um, I have a few
[13:19] clarifying questions before we go to
[13:21] public comment. Um the cost of the
[13:24] election, is that specific just to um
[13:27] our two candidates or is that for
[13:30] everything else that's on the ballot
[13:33] for November 3rd?
[13:34] >> Uh thank you. Yes. So the the estimate
[13:37] that I received from the county is
[13:40] specific to the town for two council
[13:42] seats. So they factor I'm not exactly
[13:45] sure how they do the calculation, but we we requested a quote for um two
[13:51] council seats. So, I'm not sure how what
[13:52] they're assuming in terms of how many
[13:54] candidates that's going to be, but
[13:56] they're taking into consideration a
[13:57] number of factors including um space on
[14:01] in the voter information guide. Um you
[14:04] know, how many people may be doing
[14:05] candidate statements, the mailing of
[14:07] that ballot, the translations, the vote,
[14:09] all of those all of those things.
[14:12] >> Okay. So, that that up to 51,000 will be
[14:15] specifically just to have the two
[14:16] candidates on the on the ballot,
[14:19] >> right? So, yeah. And I'm not sure what
[14:21] other assumptions they're making about
[14:23] how many potential, you know, candidates
[14:25] we may have for two seats.
[14:27] >> All right. Okay. And do we have the
[14:31] election will be held on November 3rd
[14:34] pertaining to other issues for the
[14:37] county or the greater area or the states
[14:40] even for that matter. Correct.
[14:42] >> Yes.
[14:42] >> States and federal. I I believe this is
[14:45] a midterm election. So there will be
[14:48] other many other items on the ballot.
[14:51] >> Yes. So Hillsboro residents would be
[14:53] receiving a ballot. Uh it it would just
[14:55] be a matter of whether or not there
[14:57] would be city council seats on their
[15:00] ballot.
[15:01] >> Okay. Um I I may have more questions as
[15:05] we proceed, but I think I'll ask the
[15:07] public to comment if they have any
[15:09] questions or comments at this point. Do
[15:11] we have any any comments or questions
[15:14] from the public?
[15:15] >> Thank you. I actually don't see any
[15:17] members of the public present.
[15:21] » Oh, actually we do have a member of the
[15:23] public. Mr. Baxter, would you like to
[15:25] speak?
[15:27] >> I'll just you on mute at this time.
[15:30] >> Jeff,
[15:32] not not at this time, but uh maybe a
[15:34] little bit later. Thank you.
[15:35] >> Okay. Thank you. Um in which case, no
[15:39] additional comments from the council or
[15:40] the public. Then we will proceed with a
[15:43] discussion and deliberation before we
[15:45] vote on the options in front of us. Do
[15:47] we um we'll start with council member
[15:49] Adams. Do you have any specific thoughts
[15:51] and comments on this issue?
[15:56] » Um I think this is an an interesting
[16:00] exercise in a lot of things that the
[16:02] council has to think about. um accurate
[16:06] uh
[16:07] representation and also making sure we
[16:11] are very mindful of every penny we pay
[16:15] we spend of the taxpayers's dollars. Uh
[16:19] I believe that there was more than
[16:22] adequate opportunity for candidates to
[16:26] uh join into this uh democratic election
[16:32] and uh the two candidates who took
[16:34] advantage of that were the only two who
[16:36] did take advantage. But uh I think
[16:40] democracy has been served and I think at
[16:43] this point I will be voting to support
[16:46] the resolution particularly because
[16:50] of the major budgetary issues that this
[16:55] council is facing uh that have befallen
[16:59] us and require that we be extremely
[17:03] diligent in our expenditures.
[17:07] >> Thank you. Um, Council Member Trunk,
[17:12] » I think my colleague spoke so well, so I
[17:15] have no comments. Council member
[17:17] Crowley,
[17:18] >> I agree with Council Member Adams and I
[17:20] also want to say that um that we're very
[17:24] lucky that that Vice Mayor Ragstale is
[17:28] uh is willing to serve another term and
[17:31] also that uh Jeff Baxter is willing to
[17:34] step up and I think we all know that he
[17:36] has big shoes to fill. My colleague to
[17:39] the right has been a dedicated and
[17:41] exemplary council person. I'm glad we
[17:44] get to serve with her for another few
[17:46] months. But um this town, Hillsboro is
[17:50] Hillsboro because of the dedication and
[17:54] hard work of not only our staff and our
[17:58] electeds and appointed, but our
[17:59] residents, our residents like Jeff
[18:01] Baxter and Leslie Ragdale who are
[18:03] willing to step up and do some hard work
[18:06] and um and lead the town. And I feel
[18:09] we're very fortunate. So, thank you very
[18:11] much.
[18:12] Thank you. Um, Vice Mayor Rexdale.
[18:16] >> Uh, yes. Um, okay. I have a number of
[18:20] things I will try to say quickly. Um,
[18:23] again, tell me if my volume is not
[18:25] adequate. Um, as you can imagine, I've
[18:28] been pondering this for weeks and in
[18:30] some ways for years because this did
[18:32] come up last time um that I ended up um
[18:36] with uh council member Schwang. we were
[18:38] appointed in lie um and some members of
[18:41] the public said that wouldn't serve
[18:43] democracy and I thought you know that's a tough vote um a true believer
[18:48] in democracy but um given um all of the
[18:53] facts that my fellow council members
[18:54] have named um especially the cost um but
[18:58] as um uh council member Adams pointed
[19:02] out democracy really has been served you can't look at the e-news or or any
[19:06] of our meetings without knowing there
[19:08] was an election. You can't read the
[19:09] Daily Journal without knowing there's an
[19:11] election. Um it is extremely unusual,
[19:15] although it sounds like now perhaps
[19:17] unheard of for a writing candidate to um
[19:20] to be successful. Um and nobody has
[19:24] stepped up as as far I as I've seen. Uh
[19:27] usually a potential candidate would, you
[19:30] know, contact current council members
[19:31] and say, "Hey, I'm thinking about
[19:33] running. What do you think?" Um and
[19:35] there hasn't been anyone out there.
[19:37] there's not a member of the public today
[19:39] to say, "Hey, I wanted to be a writing
[19:40] candidate. Shoot, I was out of town. I
[19:42] missed the ENUS." Um, so I do think that
[19:45] democracy and our budget would be served
[19:48] by um passing this resolution.
[19:51] Um, just a couple other things. um the
[19:54] tradition of the appointment in Lou a
[19:57] lot of our um amazing uh former mayors
[20:00] uh have actually never stood for
[20:02] election in the town of Hillsboro
[20:04] because we do have this tradition of um
[20:06] appointing inloo if there's an an
[20:09] uncontested election. Um our school
[20:12] board they were surprised that we even
[20:14] have this when they have an uncontested
[20:17] election they just don't have the
[20:19] election. They don't even vote to not
[20:20] have it. Um and um you'll be pleased to
[20:23] know that our uh school board members um
[20:26] will be uh automatically reappointed.
[20:28] They are having an uncontested election
[20:31] for um those three people. Um the town
[20:34] of Athetherton that we often um uh
[20:37] compare ourselves with favorably. Um
[20:39] we're very similar in a lot of ways. Um
[20:43] they just had a fiveminute meeting to
[20:45] appoint uh inl candidates. it was four
[20:49] because someone was filling a two-year
[20:50] term. Um so, uh and it was an
[20:53] uncontested election. Um the last thing
[20:57] is just really um uh our our time and
[21:02] resources. Um so I can go on and um do
[21:06] my work with um the town. Think about I
[21:09] already have notes going for potential
[21:11] February goals for our goal setting. Um,
[21:15] I'm here in Ireland having a fabulous
[21:18] time, but I'm also having Zooms on
[21:20] various things and and and emailing with
[21:23] staff and I could continue with that
[21:24] work, um, and, um, not have to, uh, put
[21:29] up a website, a bank account, a mailing,
[21:33] um, and all of the other things to for
[21:36] an election where it just where it's
[21:39] uncontested, so it doesn't make sense.
[21:41] Um and then um I did look into ways to
[21:46] environmentally have signs around town
[21:48] as sustainability
[21:50] commissioner. Um and you there are some
[21:55] Ridwell doesn't take them. Recology
[21:57] doesn't take them. They will take the stansions. Um but uh there are ways
[22:03] to do biodegradable signs if anyone's
[22:05] interested in the future. Um
[22:08] and um there are signs made out of
[22:10] seeds, but you can't put them out if
[22:13] it's going to rain. Um so not not a
[22:16] great idea. Um and then the last thing
[22:18] is I have gotten to know uh Jeff Baxter
[22:20] and the town will be very well served
[22:22] with the Jeff on council. So um anyone
[22:24] who happens to be watching this later
[22:27] can rest assured um we are very lucky.
[22:29] just retired from uh um very good uh
[22:35] very well um positioned accounting firm
[22:38] at Deote and Touch. Um he was mentored
[22:41] by our very own Al Royce and he's been
[22:43] on our financial advisory committee for
[22:45] a long time. He knows about the Brown
[22:47] Act which is the one thing we're always
[22:49] nervous about that people won't
[22:51] understand. He knows about our finances.
[22:53] Um and we will be very well served with
[22:56] Jeff and um thank you for listening. I I
[22:59] see the way this is going, but also it's
[23:01] important. I I don't I don't take this
[23:02] lightly and I am very appreciative.
[23:04] Thank you.
[23:06] >> Um thank you for all your comments and
[23:08] um thanks to my colleagues for their
[23:09] comments and I so respect this council
[23:12] and all of you great leaders I've been
[23:14] working with for the past many years. Um
[23:17] I I do
[23:21] completely disagree with not proceeding
[23:23] with an election for the following
[23:25] reason. I think many of you know me to
[23:26] be a pragmatist but I can also be an
[23:28] idealist and I would just for the record
[23:31] like to make notes of the significant
[23:35] ideals that I believe can be um an issue
[23:38] here. First, let me just say with
[23:40] regards to Vice Mayor Ragsdale as a
[23:44] candidate, I have had the privilege and
[23:46] the and just it's been just wonderful
[23:48] working with her and probably not
[23:50] supposed to endorse someone from the
[23:51] DES, but I have to say I I this my
[23:54] opinions is not a reflection of her. I
[23:57] endorse her. I did sign her petition to
[24:00] run again. And I have al I also have the
[24:02] utmost respect for Jeff Baxter.
[24:05] I have known Jeff and his family for
[24:07] many years. our kids grew up together.
[24:09] He's been a dedicated servant to this uh
[24:11] community. He and his wife and the rest
[24:13] of his family and I did endorse him and
[24:16] signed his petition as well. So, I will
[24:19] continue to endorse them with regards to
[24:21] their efforts to be on the council. So,
[24:23] my comments is not a reflection of any
[24:25] hesitations I have regarding these two
[24:28] candidates. I have the greatest respect
[24:30] for them. However, I believe I've had
[24:33] the utmost privilege to serve this town.
[24:37] And to me, this is the very definition
[24:40] of democracy.
[24:42] The Greek word democracy is defined as
[24:45] the power of the people and the rule by
[24:48] the people. I do think we have a
[24:51] privilege sitting on the council where
[24:53] we make very significant decisions with
[24:56] regards to taxes and zoning and other
[24:59] important decisions that impacts the
[25:01] well-being and welfare of our residents.
[25:04] I am concerned that um in especially
[25:08] with regards to just the opportunity to
[25:10] be on the council and we will be
[25:12] discussing some other issues later on as
[25:14] to how we um appoint our mayors and
[25:17] we'll probably have a discussion on that
[25:18] in the next few months but specifically
[25:21] with regards to accountability.
[25:26] Our legitimacy comes from the votes of
[25:28] the voters. There are times when we make
[25:31] a decision that some in the community
[25:34] don't agree with, but we have the power
[25:36] of the people behind us who voted for
[25:38] us. And each of us as independent
[25:41] thinkers make the best decision we can.
[25:44] It is not about an individual who may
[25:47] have connections or have friends on the
[25:49] council or feeling obligated to vote one
[25:53] way or the other because someone
[25:54] appointed you or did not appoint you. I
[25:57] do want to continue to think of those
[26:00] issues that may come up to remind me
[26:04] that I am beholding to the constituents
[26:06] of this community, not to any of my
[26:09] council members. This, you know, and as
[26:11] I stated earlier, I have the utmost
[26:13] respect. I really believe every council
[26:15] member here has continued to exercise
[26:18] their voting power with tremendous
[26:21] integrity and thoughtfulness.
[26:23] I also um believe representative
[26:26] government is about the people voting
[26:29] you, the residents voting for you and it
[26:32] creates diversity of views. If imagine a
[26:36] council 25 years from now that lobbies
[26:40] to get their friends or family members
[26:42] on the council, you will destroy the
[26:44] diversity and p different perspectives
[26:47] that a council will come to represent.
[26:51] The legitimacy of our decisions. As I
[26:54] mentioned earlier, the power of our
[26:56] decision comes from the people who vote
[26:58] for us. And we continue to exercise this
[27:03] independent voice versus loyalty. It is
[27:06] nothing I've said is a reflection of
[27:09] this current council or previous
[27:11] councils that I've studied. And it may
[27:13] never be an issue for as long as we able
[27:16] for many decades. But the practice of um
[27:21] having
[27:24] uh some appointed individuals which
[27:27] eventually you will have you could
[27:28] potentially have an entirely appointed
[27:30] council that then goes on to appoint
[27:33] other individuals who may not have whose
[27:36] loyalty may not be exclusively to the
[27:38] constituents. So, um I realize this I
[27:42] will um I will not get the votes for um
[27:45] my position, but that doesn't sway. I
[27:48] mean, I I still have tremendous respect
[27:50] for everyone's opinion on this. And um I
[27:53] just wanted for the record to know how I
[27:56] feel about this vote. Um and I will be
[27:58] dissenting for an appointment. Um the
[28:01] residents are going to be coming into
[28:03] the chambers to vote on many other
[28:05] issues. I couldn't think of a more
[28:07] powerful way to connect them to the two
[28:11] amazing council members who I know will
[28:14] be elected because of my um familiarity
[28:17] with the work they've done to be on that
[28:19] ballot and to give them that power to
[28:21] vote for them. I also do not like the
[28:24] idea that um an appointment will close
[28:27] off um writing candidates even though I
[28:31] don't expect we'll have any writing
[28:33] candidates. it is part of our process
[28:36] and it is part of democracy and if it
[28:38] exists it should stay so. Um so those
[28:41] are my thoughts and um with regards to
[28:45] the the cost I mean $51,000 is a lot of
[28:48] money clearly. However, this council is
[28:51] familiar with voting for hundreds of
[28:53] thousands of dollars on issues. Um while
[28:57] they're important to run the town,
[28:59] they're not as fundamental to our core
[29:01] principles. So I do think this is a drop
[29:02] in the bucket and it's minimal and it's
[29:05] um now more than ever preserving
[29:08] democracy at the grassroot level is is
[29:11] critical
[29:13] and um I will then proceed to see if we
[29:16] have any um we've deliberated and I
[29:19] believe do we go back to public comments
[29:20] on this? Um yes if there's anyone in the
[29:23] public who would like to comment
[29:24] further.
[29:28] Oh, actually before we go to public
[29:30] comments, I do have one council member
[29:31] um Crowley who would like to opine
[29:33] further.
[29:35] >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. And and I do
[29:37] appreciate especially now in the way our
[29:40] country is and we been a longtime
[29:42] democracy and there are aspects of our
[29:44] democracy that are under attack which we
[29:46] discussed in the same discussion four
[29:48] years ago. Um and and I do understand
[29:51] that the advantages of running in an
[29:53] election is you get a chance to listen
[29:56] and connect to the community and and I
[29:59] would suggest to our incoming members if
[30:02] they are appointed today that perhaps
[30:04] they consider having a series of
[30:05] introductory coffees or events around
[30:08] the community the same as you would do
[30:11] if you were running for election. But I feel that this is already a
[30:16] democratic exercise. I mean this even
[30:19] I'm in my fourth and I might add final
[30:21] term. I've been appointed twice and I've
[30:23] run twice and I felt no different on
[30:26] this council as far as how the support
[30:29] of the community or as as how I consider
[30:32] any issue. It it it just hasn't made a a
[30:35] difference one way or the other. And I
[30:37] feel like too if if you if you want to
[30:40] serve on this body, you should have the
[30:43] passion for the role and also the
[30:45] executive functioning skills to file on
[30:48] time. So um so to me I the cost is a
[30:52] factor because right now we do have some
[30:54] things we need to do and we have to look
[30:56] at every every dollar and how we're
[30:58] spending it. But the overriding factor
[31:00] is um how are we serving the town? So
[31:04] again, I I am comfortable with all due
[31:07] respect and I do understand your um your
[31:10] thoughts. Um I'm comfortable moving
[31:12] forward and that this is a bonafideed um
[31:17] exercise in democracy.
[31:20] >> Um thank you and um Council Member
[31:24] Adams.
[31:25] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. I agree and I I
[31:28] believe my colleague u expressed my
[31:31] feelings extremely well. Thank you,
[31:34] Council Member Crowig. We really respect
[31:37] uh your position and we respect uh the
[31:41] process that we're about to go through.
[31:43] And I do think the suggestion that a
[31:47] familiarity familiarity with even the
[31:50] existing council member who might be
[31:53] appointed by this resolution, but also
[31:55] by the new council member is something
[31:58] that I think our community deserves. And
[32:02] uh I don't know how we can uh highlight
[32:06] the qualifications and the positions
[32:09] after the fact, but I do like the idea
[32:12] of outreach to the community uh for
[32:15] those who have not had the opportunity
[32:17] to meet either of the candidates. I
[32:20] think that's an important step and I
[32:22] don't know how the town could facilitate
[32:24] it. Uh but again in my heart I believe
[32:28] this is 100% a democratic process and
[32:33] ample opportunity is given for multiple
[32:36] candidates and I'm very pleased with the
[32:39] candidates that we have which is why I
[32:41] support the resolution.
[32:45] Any additional comments from the
[32:47] council? And and just for the record, I
[32:50] my position was similar four years ago
[32:52] and it remains the same based on those
[32:54] democratic ideals I outlined. Um in
[32:57] which case we will now proceed with
[32:59] council members. Um do we have a motion
[33:02] to um uh adopt the resolution adopt
[33:06] appointing Jeff Baxter and Leslie Martin
[33:10] Ragdale to the town of Hillsboro City
[33:12] Council.
[33:14] So move.
[33:16] >> Do we have a second?
[33:17] >> Second.
[33:19] >> Okay. Lisa, could you take the vote,
[33:20] please?
[33:21] >> Thank you. Adams,
[33:23] >> yes.
[33:25] Krillic,
[33:26] >> yes.
[33:27] >> Ragtail,
[33:28] >> yes.
[33:29] >> Cole,
[33:30] >> no.
[33:31] >> Thank you.
[33:33] >> Motion, the motion passes for one. We do
[33:36] not need to discuss option two because
[33:38] we already have that option. Correct.
[33:40] >> That's That is correct. Just a note for
[33:42] the council um uh the Brown Act does
[33:44] apply uh once you are essentially
[33:47] elected to the position. So if the
[33:48] election had happened in November, the
[33:50] Brown Act would start applying to you
[33:51] even though you're not seated in the
[33:53] seat. Because you've appointed today, I
[33:55] would take the position, the Brown Act
[33:56] starts applying to the new member as of
[33:58] today. So just be cautious in that
[33:59] regard. Um but outside of that, um
[34:02] that's the only word of caution. And and
[34:04] just for clarification, um which again
[34:07] continues to um apply specifically to
[34:11] Leslie Ragdale and Jeff Baxter regarding
[34:14] issues that are on the agenda and
[34:15] discussions with other council members.
[34:18] Correct. Okay. Thank you. All right. The
[34:22] motion passes and congratulations Jeff
[34:25] Baxter and Leslie Ragdale. And um Oh,
[34:28] I'm sorry. Jeff, would you um we we
[34:31] Yeah, I will give you the opportunity to
[34:32] make any comments and I'm delighted that
[34:35] you will be joining this council soon.
[34:39] >> First of all, thank you everybody for
[34:41] your uh your support. Um first and
[34:44] foremost, I I also want to acknowledge
[34:47] the comments um about reaching out to
[34:50] the community. A number of community
[34:52] leaders uh in the in the Bay Area have
[34:55] reached out to me as part of the
[34:58] election process. Regardless of what
[35:00] happened today, I've already set up um
[35:03] gettogethers with those who've reached
[35:05] out to me. And I'm going to find time
[35:07] with others to do exactly what the the
[35:10] couple of council members recommended. I
[35:12] think it's a great suggestion and it's a
[35:14] great part of visibility um from there
[35:17] regardless of of how this vote was. So
[35:20] that I just wanted to to reiterate that
[35:22] is my plan. I I will continue to do it
[35:24] and I will coordinate with others um to
[35:27] find out are there other people that I
[35:28] should be meeting. But most importantly,
[35:31] I want to just acknowledge and thank
[35:34] Marie um for everything she's done for
[35:37] our community. Um I've had the
[35:39] opportunity. I've known Marie for a long time. Both my wife Diane and I
[35:42] have. Um and and we've have a tremendous
[35:45] amount of respect for her. um she's been
[35:48] invaluable in this process, not only up
[35:50] to now, but you know, going forward, you
[35:53] know, being sensitive to the Brown Act,
[35:55] as I will continue in and follow, um I'm
[35:59] going to learn a lot from her, and I
[36:00] there's a lot for me to learn from her
[36:02] and the and the rest of the council. But
[36:05] I want to just recognize and thank her
[36:07] for the tremendous amount of effort
[36:08] she's done. Um from there, I also want
[36:10] to thank Lisa um for everything she's
[36:13] done in in the process. She's made the
[36:15] process extremely smooth, very helpful,
[36:17] very educational, and thank them. And lastly, I just it'll be an honor for me to be on the council and to serve
[36:24] the community. I've been part of this
[36:26] community for close to 35 years now.
[36:29] Both my wife and I, we've raised our
[36:30] kids here. I've been part of the finance
[36:32] committee. My wife, you know, [snorts]
[36:34] as I always say, is is probably the
[36:36] strongest candidate of anybody who'd to
[36:38] ever be on um for Diane. But it'll be a
[36:41] true honor and pleasure for me to to
[36:43] serve the community and and be part of
[36:45] this council. So, thank you.
[36:47] >> Um, thank you. And um I I echo your
[36:50] sentiments regarding our beloved and
[36:53] esteemed um leader um Marie Chuang and
[36:57] she will not be going very far. She's
[36:59] already been recruited to stay engaged
[37:01] on several projects going forward. So,
[37:03] thanks for your dedicated service on the
[37:06] council, but I know you will continue to
[37:08] serve the community and especially
[37:10] Hillsboro for the years to come. Thank
[37:12] you. Um, any additional comments?
[37:17] Seeing none, this meeting is now Oh, I'm
[37:20] sorry, Leslie. Did I miss?
[37:22] >> Oh, I I I was just going to um echo um
[37:27] what you both said and and uh Council
[37:29] Member Kick also said about Marie who uh
[37:32] got me in this in the first place um
[37:35] asking me to um consider being on the
[37:37] CCAC and um you know, I just love and
[37:41] respect Marie so so so much and am
[37:44] looking forward to having non Brown Act
[37:46] conversations with her in the future.
[37:49] Thank you.
[37:51] Yes. Um, Council Member Adams,
[37:54] >> uh, and despite the fact that, uh, you
[37:57] will be continuing to work with us, uh,
[38:00] we will also take advantage of other
[38:02] opportunities to sing your praises and
[38:06] acknowledge the amazing work that you
[38:08] have done for so long and with grace and
[38:13] intelligence and dignity at all times.
[38:16] So, we appreciate you and just get used
[38:19] to nice words coming your way.
[38:25] » Okay, seeing no additional comments,
[38:28] this meeting is now adjourned. Thank
[38:29] you, Lisa.