SUN VILLAGE – In next week’s election for two open seats on the seven-member Sun Village Town Council, residents face just as many challenges as the candidates.
The public was told at the council’s Feb. 24 meeting that an election would be held in April – and with the March meeting cancelled, residents have been left to fend for themselves regarding any election information.
The Bee was told by a council representative (Gim Lawrence, assistant treasurer of the Sun Village Town Council) on Mar. 21 to leave the matter alone, saying, “You don’t have to let the residents know anything. We will take care of that.”
A notice was finally published this week in the Antelope Valley Press, announcing that an election to fill the two vacancies on the council would take place Saturday, Apr. 5 – and the deadline for candidates to apply is Wednesday, Apr. 2.
When the Bee was told by Lawrence that Sun Village’s electoral process would be handled strictly according to the organization’s bylaws, someone was blowing just a little too much smoke into the beehive.
Sources in the community had contacted the Bee and provided a copy of those bylaws, revealing a disturbing tale of an organization that cannot seem to follow its own guidelines.
Now that residents have been put on notice that an election is coming their way on Apr. 5, voters have less than two weeks to find out who is running for a council seat and how they stand on local issues. And with an application deadline of Apr. 2 (which also includes a review process for eligibility to be administered by those currently occupying the council), the delayed announcement gives potential candidates even less time to reach out to residents once they become officially approved as council nominees.
If Sun Village candidates are not familiar with the council’s bylaws, this may prove to be a tricky enterprise to navigate.
Having obtained a copy of the organization’s bylaws – believed to be the most current version (last updated Jun. 15, 2009) – the Bee has uncovered clear evidence that the goalposts have been moved for this election’s timeline.
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BY THE POWER VESTED IN US
Keep in mind that the Sun Village Town Council is not a local legislative body – nor does it contain legal powers as such. The council is simply a community advisory organization to Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor Michael Antonovich. Therefore, the council does not have to play by the rules of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. At best, the organization is accountable only to itself – as members see fit through their bylaws.
According to the Constitution & Bylaws of the Sun Village Town Council, the organization’s most notable public function is “to act as a representative of the community in dealing with outside interests” (Article II, Section 1); more specifically it is to “serve as liaison between the community and outside interest, and local entities, ensuring communications regarding programs and policies are disseminated timely and adequately” (Article II, Section 1).
But a closer look at the council’s bylaws reveals that members have poorly handled the planning of their Apr. 5 election in terms of the timely dissemination of information for this public event.
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RECIPE FOR AN ELECTION
According to Article VII, Section 3, “the Board of Directors/ Executive Board shall make a public slate of the candidates running for office on the Sun Village Town Council in the month of March for the scheduled election.”
Obviously this did not happen because there was no public meeting in March. And the Bee is left to assume there is no public slate at this stage of the game because Article VII, Section 5 of the council’s bylaws points out that “Ballots are made public at the Sun Village Town Councils in the month of March.”
Another missed opportunity for this council’s election presents itself in Section 9 of Article VII, stating: “Nominations for the elected office on the SVTC may be taken from the floor at the town council meeting prior to the close of nominations, or they may be sent to the Secretary of the Executive Board at any time prior to the close of nominations in the month of February.”
Unfortunately, hardly any mention of the election was made to the public at the council’s last meeting on Feb. 24. Littlerock Town Council Secretary Annamarie Dyemartin raised the question only minutes before Council President Magdalene Lawrence adjourned the meeting, asking, “Does the town council know when the election will take place?”
President Lawrence answered, “No we don’t. But we will make sure that it’s put into the community, and you will be aware of it. We’ll make sure of that.”
Another electoral procedure carved into the bylaws, Article XI, Section 10, regarding the duties of the Election Committee, states, “names of persons shall be submitted to this Committee [for the purposes of preparing ballots] no later than (30) days prior to the time of such elections.” Really?
With so many deadlines and opportunities missed with adequately informing the public of the upcoming election, residents deserve to know the reason for the recent vacancies on this council. The public would be better served if this board of community advisors to the county supervisor cared to be the slightest bit transparent.
It is important that the council follow the very guidelines they have set for themselves in the bylaws – for no other sound reason but to allow members of the public a fair and evenhanded opportunity to make informed decisions regarding those who will represent their community to the county. Potential candidates deserve the same consideration for reaching out to residents. How else will potential representatives know and understand the needs and issues of their community if only given a few days to campaign?
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YOUR PAPERS PLEASE
To be eligible for membership on the town council, candidates must meet qualifications such as being a resident or property owner “in good and regular standing in the Sun Village Community” (Article IV), and meeting the requirement of having “attended (1) year of prior meetings” (Article VI, Section 2).
Where potential candidates run into a problem with the 11th-hour announcement of the Apr. 5 election is that they must submit a Letter of Intent with qualifications to be signed by the town council. The bylaws point out that “the letter must be sent by certified mail and postmarked by the designated deadline date [Apr. 2]. The deadline date will constitute the close of all nominations submitted to the Nominating Committee” (Article VI, Section 3).
And according to Article VI, Section 4, this is only the beginning of the review process, stating that “all qualifications are subject to verifications. All verifications must be received prior to placing an individual’s name of [sic] the voting ballot.”
Prospective Sun Village Town Council candidates (or their supporters) may contact the Bee at [email protected] to submit candidate bios and platform statements for immediate publication on civicbee.com.
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ELECTION NOTICE RECAP
Here are the vitals of this week’s announcement published in the Antelope Valley Press:
The Sun Village council is looking to fill two vacancies. Applications can be picked up at 9045 East Ave. R-4. And the deadline to apply is Wednesday, Apr. 2. The election will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Park, 8773 East Ave. R. on Saturday, Apr. 5.
The Sun Village council asks that prospective candidates have “one year of service to the community and either be residents of Sun Village or own property within the village,” according to the notice submitted to the Valley Press by the Sun Village Town Council.
The council also notes that “potential candidates must follow all bylaws.” Lastly, the notice asks residents to call 1-800-992-5254, ext. 100, for more details.
