www.mofd.org

At its December 15 meeting, Frank Sperling, Dick Olsen and John Wyro were sworn in as members of the Board of Directors for the Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD). The oath of office was administered by the Honorable John Kennedy, Judge of the Superior Court, Contra Costa County. All three are returning members of the Board. Sperling and Olsen ran unopposed and were appointed in lieu of election. For Division 4, Wyro ran against Orinda resident, Bob Jungbluth in the November elections. Each member will serve a four-year term on the board.

The Board of Directors also appointed its Officers for the 2011 year. Beginning January 1, Wyro will assume the position of President, Fred Weil was appointed Vice President, Brook Mancinelli will be Secretary and Olsen will act as Treasurer. Sperling, the 2010 Board President, will move to general member. Sperling said that as president, Wyro will preside over the Board of Directors meetings, handle press inquries and make statements on behalf of the entire Board. Weil, as vice president, would step in for the President when Wyro is not available. And, as a matter of course, Weil is the presumptive next President for the following year.

During this meeting the Board nominated Olsen to run for the Special District seat on the Local Agency Formation Commission's (LAFCO) Board of Directors. This vacancy was created by the departure of former LAFCO board member David Piepho. Each Special District, such as MOFD, is allowed to nominate one board member to be considered for the position.

LAFCO, a regulatory agency, is charged by the state to oversee (among other items) the boundaries of cities, towns and Special Districts (such as MOFD), as well as water and sewer districts to ensure orderly growth. Currently, the LAFCO Board consists of two city members selected by the cities in the County, two County members selected by the Board of Supervisors, two Special District members selected by the Independent Special Districts in the County, and one public member selected by the other six LAFCO Commissioners.

The election will be held Monday, January 24 during the quarterly meeting of the Contra Costa Special Districts Association. Olsen, if elected, will serve out Piepho's current term which, according the LAFCO's website, ends in May of 2012.

When asked about his objectives for serving on LAFCO's Board, Olsen said that given his extensive background in the areas of fire and emergency medical services, he believes he can make major, constructive contributions to any efforts LAFCO may undertake in response to the current fiscal crisis many County and City fire service agencies are facing.

"It is my (and the MOFD Board's) desire that any and all actions that LAFCO might take in the future in response to that crisis will, in fact, result in improving fire and emergency medical services county-wide and will not in any way degrade the superior service levels that the residents and taxpayers of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District currently enjoy," said Olsen.