| | Published January 8th, 2020
| Lamorinda board elections shatter tradition and protocol
| | | By Nick Marnell | | |
The reorganization of several Lamorinda public governing boards has been anything but routine the past two years.
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District, which set the tone with an unprecedented reorganization in 2018, added to its legacy by electing Steven Danziger to a second consecutive term as board president Dec. 18. Traditionally - and that word has assumed less and less significance in MOFD elections - the district vice president is elected president for the succeeding year, but Craig Jorgens returned as vice president for 2020 after the board re-elected Danziger.
In 2018, the district bucked precedent by electing Danziger - a first-time board member - to the presidency to the dismay and disapproval of many district residents, who feared that Danziger, along with his two newly elected, union-backed directors, were plotting for the firefighters union to "take over the fire district," as one speaker warned at the 2018 election meeting.
The city of Lafayette also eschewed tradition and re-elected its mayor, though the reorganization came as no surprise and was fully endorsed by the vice mayor. Mike Anderson, who took over for Cam Burks after Burks stepped down as mayor in April, was re-elected by the city council Dec. 9. "I have a lot of learning to do before possibly filling in next year for Mike. I am very thankful that he is going to take this next year," said Vice Mayor Susan Candell, who would traditionally have been elected to the mayoral post.
An unexpected twist occurred Dec. 17 during the Moraga town council reorganization. According to protocol and based on seniority, Council Member Renata Sos was next in line to be vice mayor. But two fellow council members argued that Sos, having been appointed and not elected to the council, should not assume a position putting her one heartbeat away from becoming town mayor. Sos withdrew her nomination for vice mayor, not once, but twice. "It would be difficult for me to perform the job given the comments that have been made," Sos said, and the council elected Kymberleigh Korpus mayor and Mike McCluer vice mayor for 2020.
Only the Orinda City Council facilitated a traditional reorganization, with Vice Mayor Darlene Gee succeeding Inga Miller as mayor Dec. 3.
Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen, whose District 2 includes Lamorinda, virtually won re-election because no one else filed with the county Elections Division in time to appear on the ballot. The only person who could oppose Andersen in 2020 is a write-in candidate.
Based on the recent history of elections of Lamorinda public officials, Andersen is taking nothing for granted. "If someone launches a write-in campaign, I will respond accordingly and run a full campaign myself," Andersen said.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA