After perhaps setting a record for motions that died on the floor, the Rossmoor Community Services District’s remaining four members have selected a community member to fill the Board seat left vacant by the resignation of Mary Ann Remnet.
Sharon Landers, RCSD General Manager, said two of the eight candidates from the district who had qualified for the seat pulled their names from consideration before the meeting. The six remaining candidates included:
• Konya Vivanti, a local government executive with experience working with Garden Grove, Culver City and the City of Lakewood.
• Jody L. Roubanis, Ed.D., an educator with significant board experience and President of the California Association of Family and Consumer Services.
• Loree Swanenburg, an accomplished real estate executive with sales of more than $100 million, significant community banking experience.
• Scott Yarboff, an executive of the Mattel Corp., financial planner who has had a hand in deploying $7 billion in Mattel projects around the world.
• Matt Anderson, a business exec with real estate business experience and service on multiple boards, and,
• Andrew “Drew” Zinser, the man eventually chosen to fill the term, a management program executive the within Angels baseball ecosystem.
“I could work with any of you,” Director Tony DeMarco told the candidates before the voting started. “I am going to make my decision on who I think is best for Rossmoor right now,” he told them.
Each candidate was given time to speak to the board and residents, after which the board asked questions of each candidate.
Following an interview of about three hours, the six qualified residents who wanted to replace Remnet sat back and watched as the Board tried various names to fill the seat, only to end up with a 2-2 vote.
Board President Jo Shade and Director Nathan Searles liked the same candidates, yet Directors Tony DeMarco and Michael Maynard wanted different candidates.
Some motions nominating candidates simply died for the lack of a 2nd. Still the names flew.
DeMarco nominated Vivanti to begin the “deliberations.” Maynard agreed, but Searles and Shade voted no.
Searles nominated Roubanis, Shade agreed but DeMarco and Maynard said no.
And so it went on for a while.
Early in the debate, Maynard had nominated Zinser, and DeMarco said yes, but Searles and Shade were a no.
When it became obvious that there was a political logjam, Searles suddenly nominated Zinser. This meant that if Maynard and DeMarco were still for Zinser, there could be a winner.
Maynard did, in fact, 2nd Searles’ motion, and they voted to authorize Zinser to fill the seat. Shade still voted no, but the motion passed 3-1.
Zinzer, following the vote-a-rama on the Council dais, was administered the oath of office by Board President Jo Shade and quickly took his seat on the Board to complete the meeting.
The vacancy was created by the resignation of former Director Mary Ann Remnet, who recently sold her property in Rossmoor and moved back to Italy to live closer to family. Zinser, who noted that he had a lot to learn, will serve the remaining two years of Remnet’s term.
Moving on to this fall’s election, two board seats are up for election in November, including Board President Jo Shade’s seat.
According to the O.C. Registrar of Voters, Shade, Vivanti and Roubanis are each qualified for the Nov. 3 election. Rossmoor voters will select two of three candidates for the two board seats, one of which is held by Shade, on Nov. 3.
For the first time publicly, Maynard explained his decision not to run this fall.
“I’ve served for fourteen and one-half years,” said Maynard. “I think it’s time for me to do other things, find time for other passions,” he told his colleagues.
In other action, the Rossmoor CSD Board;
• Finally passed the district’s 2027 budget of just over $2 million. Maynard was not able to claw back any of the General Manager’s contract, yet the Board did accept an amendment to cut the legal expense budget by $15,000 before passing the budget.
• Heard Miriam Last of the Rossmoor Homeowners Association welcome any of the board member candidates who were not selected to come over to RHA, suggesting there will soon be vacancies there. Also, she said the $25,000 golf cart they purchased for the district would be arriving soon and that RHA had decided to give the district an additional $25,000. RHA will work with RCSD to discuss how best to use the funding.
• Heard also at their previous meeting that the California Highway Patrol will soon be writing citations of “Admonishment” for parents of Rossmoor e-bikers caught in violations and dangerous behavior.
The CHP spokesman did not get into detail on how the new “admonishments” of e-bike parents would work, penalties, etc., noting it is an emerging program attempt to stem the growing problems around e-bikes.