Last week, we were corresponding with one of our readers. That person observed that "..way too many [Oro Valley board and commission members] have lived here too short of a time, and have never expressed an interest in local goings on.... [Oro Valley] winds up with a pretty amateurish group. That results in [town] staff having more control and influence, which is not what they want, but need to fill-in."We thought this was an astute observation.
It made us ask: Just what are Oro Valley boards and commissions about? Are they amateurs?
Oro Valley's Boards and Commissions
Oro Valley Has 9 boards and commissions. 55 individuals serve on these. They are volunteer position. There is no pay. All but one, the Board of Adjustment, has advisory power. The Board of Adjustment has judicial power.
In some instances, the job of members of a board or commission member is to be a sounding board for the department they serve. In other instances, it is to vet recommendations to town council for actions to be considered. So, these boards and commissions do matter as they are a means of providing citizen input into the governing process.
Council Interface
One council member is appointed to serve as liaison to the board or commission. They are a conduit of information. They attend the meetings and provide council feedback to from the board or commission if needed.
Appointment Process
Membership to a board or commission starts with a notice to residents of a position being available. We post these as does the town. There are currently two open positions. Those interested are asked to complete an application. They submit this application to the town clerk's office who log it in. This is a relatively pain-free process.
Those who apply then meet with selected members of the current board or commission and several members of the department which is serves. This meeting is focused on questions to the applicant. Those selected are notified. Those who are not selected are also notified. This latter notification notes that their application will be kept on file for 2 years if the applicant wants to apply for another board or commission opening during that time. Those selected are approved in the consent agenda of a town council meeting.
Training
"All new board and commission members get training specific to their board, including training in the Open Meeting Law. Each board and commission gets training on an annual basis. This training is Board specific."(Source: One of our bloggers)
Requirements
To our knowledge, the qualifications for being a board or commission member are unwritten. The requirements for membership vary from one another. Generally, the requirements are rather sparse. For example, the current opening for the CDRB states that: "To serve on a board or commission, members must be residents of the Town, be available to attend the designated meetings and be committed to the completion of the Town's Community Academy within their term." It does not require, for example, that an individual have any knowledge or experience in an area.
Public Vetting
To our knowledge, there is no public vetting of the selection of a person to a board or commission. By this we mean that the public is not involved in the process of providing insight to the commission on those who apply.
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Our Analysis
Some of those who serve on Oro Valley's boards and commissions are qualified for the job. By this we mean that they:
- Have experience in the area in which they will serve
- Have the ability to remain independent from political or special interest
- Have been residents of Oro Valley for a sufficient resident timeframe to represent all of its citizens.
- Have demonstrated an interest, through past history, in being active in town governance.
- Have the time and will devote the effort to serve and
- Are respected in their community.
Some, however, do not meet these standards. This is because these are our standards. You may think of other standards.
The town's standards are, as we've noted, rather sparse.
The reasons behind an appointment are never revealed. The reason for a decline is never revealed. Every appointment is completely based on vague standards. Every appointment can be influenced.
We have found that some of those appointed have been previously solicited to apply. They have been given an inside track. Therefor, the open solicitation for that position is not really open at all. The others who apply, those who were not solicited, are simply wasting their time.
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The result of this is that some members of Oro Valley's boards and commissions are amateurs; that they really do not possess the requisites to provide effective, independent input to the town; and that, because of this, they do not represent the people. Consequently, their decisions should be questioned.
What do you think?
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2 comments:
Most members on all the Boards and Commissions are good individuals attempting to the do what is best for the Town. Unfortunately, they are directed by Staff which makes decisions based on keeping their jobs by supporting the interests of the Mayor and his three allies on the Council. Oro Valley is run, just like the state and the national government, by special-interest politics. Therefore, unless a resident is a member of the current special-interest groups, they will receive minimal representation, if not misrepresentation, in Oro Valley. The majority of staff’s recommendations, because of whom they represent, are often not supported by code or General Plan policies. In fact, many of their recommendations are in direct conflict with Town codes and General Plan policies
Staff’s information packets for P&Z and Council often emphasize only the information that supports an applicant’s request. They often omit information from planned-area documents that forbid an applicant’s request or require certain procedures be completed prior to approving a request. Some P&Z members seem unprepared to consider and question the topic before them. Therefore, they depend completely on the selected information from Staff to make their recommendations to Council.
Can the residents of Oro Valley depend on Town’s Boards and Commissions members to make decisions based on Code and General Plan policies? Probably not!
ov important...
Before I respond to your comments in length, help me by explaining what this means:
"unless a resident is a member of the current special-interest groups".
Thanks!!
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