Moving on: Payne Phalen District Five Planning Council -- In with the old, In with the new

Payne/Phalen District Five Planning Council’s annual meeting was held this evening in the cafeteria of John A. Johnson Elementary School.

There were approximately seventy qualified voters at the meeting was held to elect ten directors to two-year terms and to consider three proposed amendments to the bylaws [all submitted by Eric Mitchell and placed on the meeting agenda by direction of the Board].

The District Council honored its Honor Roll nominees and other volunteers and heard greetings from City Councilmembers Dan Bostrom and Lee Helgen and County Commissioners Jim McDonough and Janice Rettman. Councilmember Bostrom noted the presence of former Councilmember Roberta Megard in the audience. Ms. Megard has been observing district meetings for the League of Women Voters.

President Kapaun summed up the accomplishments of the last year and Treasurer Janice Lafloe reported on the finances, noting the excellent audit report recently delivered for 2006 and 2007.

Eleven candidates were nominated for the ten seats. The election was held peacefully and fairly. I do not agree with the results in their entirety, but that happens in a democracy.

The two officers whose terms were up, President Kapaun and Treasurer Lafloe, were reelected. Former President Eric Mitchell and land use chairperson/ radio personality A. L. Brown, both of whom had been serving on the Executive Committee, declined to seek reelection.

Former Director and former School Board member Al Oertwig was probably the best-known of the newly elected Directors. [When I get a complete list of names with correct spelling, I’ll append them.]

The bylaw proposal to rename the organization was defeated. It seemed to me that there was some sentiment to changing the name, if not to “Payne/Phalen Community Council” to something similar which removes the focus from the district number, but that concerns over the cost and legal complications of the name change deterred the electorate.

The amendment to allow Directors to resign by submitting a letter of resignation was approved.

The third amendment, which would have removed a Director if a number equal to 70% of the voters at the last annual meeting signed a petition for removal, was withdrawn at Mr. Mitchell’s request.

As District Council annual meetings go, there was probably nothing especially exciting about this one, but it was another fine example of our Citizen Participation system in action. The next year or two will tell us if the right choices were made.

ADDENDUM: May 3, 2008

Also elected, in addition to those named above was David Syers who kept the seat to which he was appointed last year and new members Brian Cooper, Cheryl Fiksdal, Laurie Krivitz, Jerry Livesay, Nieeta Presley, and Kerry Stone.