{"id":249962,"date":"2016-03-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/record-vote-at-uptown-planners-election\/"},"modified":"2016-03-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-03-11T08:00:00","slug":"record-vote-at-uptown-planners-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/record-vote-at-uptown-planners-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Record vote at Uptown Planners election"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Ken Williams | Editor<\/p>\n

Uptown Planners were caught by surprise at the annual election March 1, when a record number of voters showed up. Hundreds of people crowded into Joyce Beers Community Center, and the line of voters continued out of the building and down the street in the HUB shopping center.<\/p>\n

Unprepared for a turnout of 540 voters \u2014 more than double the old record \u2014 officials ran out of ballots and had to hastily print out more. The temperature inside the room quickly heated up, making it feel like a sauna. The noisy crowd made it nearly impossible to properly conduct a forum during which the 16 candidates were given three minutes to state their case to be elected. With no microphone, many of the candidates could not be heard beyond the first few rows of seats.<\/p>\n

Chair J. Demetrois \u201cJim\u201d Mellos III, who doesn\u2019t have a very loud voice, kept asking for quiet from the voters, who had to line up in three rows as they awaited their turn to show identification to prove that they lived in the Uptown area or owned a business there. If qualified, they got a ballot.<\/p>\n

\"Hundreds<\/a>
Hundreds of people lined up to register to vote in the Uptown Planners election on March 1. (Photo by Ken Williams)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two slates \u2014 each comprised of seven candidates \u2014 spoke along with two independent candidates.<\/p>\n

One slate was promoted by Uptown Planners member Tom Mullaney, who is outspoken in his opposition to density. Those candidates were Uptown Planners member Roy Dahl, Bill Ellig, Tim Gahagan, Amie Hayes, Stuart McGraw, Cindy Thorsen and Leo Wilson. Some audience members were observed holding a flier that Mullaney had circulated and they voted accordingly.<\/p>\n

The opposing slate, a loose coalition of candidates who share similar goals and decided to help each other during the campaign, was Josh Clark, Soheil Nakhshab, Eddie Reynoso, Elizabeth Robinson, Maya Rosas, Judi Tentor and Uptown Planners member Matt Winter.<\/p>\n

The others seeking election were Uptown Planners vice chair Thomas Fox and Robert Efrid, who was out of town and had his speech read by an associate.<\/p>\n

Three hours after the meeting began, the votes were finally tabulated and the results announced. Those elected, along with their campaign promises, were:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Roy Dahl<\/strong> of Hillcrest (305 votes) \u2014 Current treasurer of Uptown Planners after being appointed in September 2015. Member of Uptown Community Parking District and active in Hillcrest Town Council. Said he was focused on transportation, parks and urban design, and seeks a walkable community and balanced residential and business interests.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. William \u201cBill\u201d Ellig<\/strong> of University Heights (268) \u2014 Member of SANDAG Community Advisory Group for the Uptown Bicycle Corridor. Supports \u201ccomplete streets\u201d safe for cars, bikes and pedestrians. Supports \u201cproper\u201d growth.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Cindy Thorsen<\/strong> of University Heights (257) \u2014 Community activist with previous planning group experience, including design review and zoning issues. Supports responsible development that is sensitive to existing neighborhoods.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Soheil Nakhshab<\/strong> of Bankers Hill (250) \u2014 18 years in the building industry. Believes in building elegant spaces to human scale while maintaining environmentally conscious standards to make our urban neighborhoods thrive. \u201cI walk the walk,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to bring more light to the community.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. amie hayes<\/strong> of Hillcrest (248) \u2014 Works as a historic resources specialist with Save Our Heritage Organisation. Experienced in planning, zoning and urban design issues. Supports smart growth as long as it comes with needed infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            1. Maya Rosas<\/strong> of Mission Hills (247) \u2014 A city planner by trade who calls herself an urbanist at heart. Wants Uptown revitalized with complete and safe streets for all, to create affordable housing, and help businesses thrive in our commercial centers. Seeks \u201ccomplete streets\u201d for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Formerly with Circulate San Diego.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                \n
              1. Timothy Gahagan<\/strong> of Hillcrest (241) \u2014 Vice president of Uptown Community Parking District and active in Hillcrest Town Council. Supports \u201cpositive\u201d development that enhances our communities\u2019 character.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                The seven newly elected members of the Uptown Planners will be seated at the next monthly meeting, which will be on Tuesday, April 5. Officers will be elected, including the positions of chair and vice chair.<\/p>\n

                In somewhat of a surprise, incumbents Thomas Fox and Matt Winter were not re-elected.<\/p>\n

                Leaving the board are Mellos, Fox and Winter along with Ernestine<\/strong> \u201cErnie\u201d Bonn, Beth Jaworski<\/strong> y Chris Ward<\/strong>, who is running for City Council in District 3.<\/p>\n

                Returning members are secretary Michael Brennan, Gary Bonner, Bob Daniel, Dana Hook, Tom Mullaney, Jay Newington, Jennifer Pesqueira, Ken Tablang <\/strong>y Mat Wahstrom.<\/strong><\/p>\n

                Mellos, the termed-out chair, announced that Uptown Planners member Kyle Heiskala<\/strong> resigned after the ballot was finalized. A few days later, Heiskala announced that he was running for the District 1 City Council seat. Heiskala\u2019s resignation means that the new board will be charged with appointing someone to fill his term, which expires in March 2019.<\/p>\n

                \u2014Ken Williams is editor of Uptown News and Mission Valley News and can be reached at\u00a0ken@sdcnn.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0o al 619-961-1952. S\u00edguelo en Twitter en\u00a0KenSanDiego<\/span><\/a>, cuenta de Instagram en\u00a0KenSD<\/span><\/a>\u00a0o Facebook en\u00a0KenWilliamsSanDiego<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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