Amador County – The Amador County Mayors Select Committee met last week and deferred a decision on the 2009 members of the Local Agency Formation Commission for a clarification on term limits. New mayors Lee Ard of Ione, Aaron Brusatori of Amador City, and Connie Gonsalves joined reappointed mayors Jon Colburn of Plymouth and Gary Wooten of Sutter Creek at the more-than-annual meeting. Former Ione Mayor Andrea Bonham said the Select Committee met three times last year because of changing city council memberships, and this year’s committee will meet at least once more to decide the LAFCO seat. Supervisor Clerk Jennifer Burns said LAFCO Executive Director Roseanne Chamberlain missed last Wednesday’s meeting due to a family illness. Ard pursued appointing Councilman David Plank to the seat of Jerry Sherman, whose term would have expired in February, had he not lost in his November re-election bid. Wooten said he asked Sutter Creek Councilman Tim Murphy if he wanted to be on LAFCO and Murphy said that last year’s alternate, Plymouth Councilwoman Pat Fordyce, was being rotated into the position. Colburn said, “it seems to me you don’t want to be locked out for 4 years.” Ard argued that last year’s selection committee policy change gave the city council the right to replace the member if it is from that city, if an election causes a vacancy, rather than allowing the alternate to take over. Ard said he was steadfast on his stance, while Gonsalves said the Jackson City Council had made up its mind to have newly appointed Councilman Pat Crew be a member of LAFCO, because of his experience. Selections on LAFCO will be made at the next meeting, on a date to be determined, possibly this week. The committee discussed membership of the Central Sierra Economic Development District, deciding to appoint Plymouth Councilwoman Patricia Shackleton to the board. If she would not accept the post, Brusatori said Amador City Councilman Tim Knox would accept the position. Wooten agreed to continue as alternate. Story by Jim Reece
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