Voters turned out March 20 to elect five candidates to the Peninsula Community Planning Board ” nearly completing their task.
Four of the seats were filled, according to semi-official results, but the lack of a majority vote for a fifth seat has forced a run-off election Thursday, April 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Hervey/Point Loma Branch Library, 3701 Voltaire St.
To complicate matters, the resignation of board member Katheryn Rhodes the day after the election has left a seat vacant to be elected by the board at a future meeting.
Despite Rhodes’ resignation, only one seat can be included in the runoff election. The board has 120 days to fill the seat or leave it vacant, said PCPB election committe member Dee Wylie.
Though Rhodes said she is stepping down to work other with organizations in the city, she thanked other community volunteers for helping with the elections.
“The election actually went very well, very smooth,” Rhodes said. “We had a lot of support from the city of San Diego and the League of Women Voters.”
According to the board’s bylaws, candidates needed a simple majority of ballots to win a seat. Of the 643 ballots cast, four candidates from the slate of 10 garnered at least the necessary 322 votes.
Candidates-elect J. Scott Brown received 327 votes; Donna Kaup, 322; Charles Mellor, 324; and Jim Lester, 325, according to the semi-official results.
Remaining candidates slated for the run-off election include incumbents Mignon Scherer, Patti Barbee-Rank, Lance Murphy and challengers Harris Steiner and Shelly Kilbourn-McGee.
Current PCPB chair Geoff Page, who was on the March 20 ballot, said he would withdraw from the run-off election.
Board members and observers said they have been concerned about development and density on the Peninsula that has led to traffic congestion and to noise pollution from Lindbergh Field.
While some were visibly displeased with the outcome of the election results, board member Mark Hoppe said he looks forward to working with the newly elected members.
“I don’t care if they lean [politically] to the left or to the right,” Hoppe said, “or they are pro-big projects or are pro-no projects. But as long as we can have a civil discourse, I’m looking forward to it.”
Members of the League of Women Voters tallied the votes Thursday as board members, candidates and community members discussed future development of Point Loma and Lindbergh Field.
Two board members who chose not to run for re-election on March 20, Maggie Valentine and Gregg Robinson, also thanked the community and the board before bidding farewell.
Robinson gave an impassioned speech suggesting that the board adopt a variation of the Alcoholics Anonymous serenity prayer to say before each meeting.
“I would suggest that God grant me the passion to pursue my values when it’s necessary, the intelligence to compromise when absolutely required and the wisdom to tell the difference between those two,” Robinson said.
“I respect everyone on this board for their passion and commitment, but sometimes the passion gets in the way of the commitment,” he said. “There’s more that brings us together, honestly, that separates us.”
In other board decisions, the board approved a project to build a two-story house at 3534 Wilcox St. Architect Julie Urbon said the project needed board approval to combine two adjacent properties into a single lot for the construction.
The PCPB is an advisory board to the city on development projects before they go to the city for final approval. For more information visit www.pcpb.net.