The Ocean Beach Town Council has rounded up this year’s elections with seven incumbent candidates retaining their board positions and the addition of a new board member.
Joining the council as the new kid on the block will be Ocean Beach resident and retiree benefits program manager Henry Glah.
The newly elected board members will be recognized at the board’s induction dinner at Shades Oceanfront Bistro at 5083 Santa Monica Ave., on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. Presale tickets are available.
But before the new board gets down to business, it needs to tackle a pressing issue.
“We got to be more visible in the community,” said board member Jim Musgrove.
Musgrove said the board suffers from an “identity crisis” because, although the board helps other Ocean Beach groups like the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association and the Ocean Beach Planning Board, their membership numbers are low. The town council boasts about 160 voting members during this year’s election, according to board secretary Nancy Alice Vaughn.
The returning board members will have a chance to increase membership during their new term, Musgrove said.
The incumbent board members re-elected to their seat include: Stephen Heverly, board member and liaison to the zero-waste initiative; David Martin, past president and historian; Shaina Gross, media relations liaison; and Jane Gawronski, Ocean Beach Planning Board liaison.
Musgrove, vice president and chair of the Beautification Committee, also retains his position. Vaughn, who also serves as chair of the Casino Night Committee, and active volunteer Mark Williams were also re-elected.
Glah, a 10-year resident of OB, said he didn’t know he had been elected until Sept. 21, when he was notified that The Peninsula Beacon had been looking for him for an interview. He said he called his parents to tell them the good news.
He said he spent part of this weekend walking around town introducing himself to local business owners and asking them about their concerns within the community.
Glah, a graduate of the University of Oregon and chair of the university’s San Diego Chapter Alumni Association, said his skills as a program manager for a retiree benefits firm could benefit the board.
“I’m going to be very, very involved “¦I like to lead [programs], put them together and get things accomplished,” Glah said
He said he wants to help bolster board membership and voter turnout in the future.
The Ocean Beach Town Council holds yearly elections as half of the 15 board positions become available. Eight positions were filled this year. The board will meet in closed session in October to organize and appoint committee members, said Musgrove.
The council board holds open meetings every fourth Wednesday of the month. The board acts as a community forum and contact between elected officials and the Ocean Beach community.
For more information, call (619) 515-4400, or visit www.obtowncouncil.org.