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Hollywood Park EDC forwards ranked recommendations to city council for board appointments
Summary
The Economic Development Corporation ranked applicants and voted to forward its recommended slate to city council. The session included debate over anonymity of ranking sheets and whether an EDC member has a 'right to reappointment' under the bylaws; the board also noted one member's absence may be reviewed by council.
The Hollywood Park Economic Development Corporation voted to forward a ranked list of applicants to city council as its recommendations for EDC appointments. The list placed Allen Sale first, Brian Budnick second, Chris Bain third, Martha Sanchez fourth and Kenneth Sumners fifth; Colleen Salazar was sixth. The board voted to send the rankings to city council by motion and voice vote.
The ranking process prompted extended discussion about whether member rankings should be anonymized and how the EDC’s bylaws describe reappointment. One member objected to an anonymized “recommendation grid” on the grounds that prior legal guidance had prohibited secret ballots and that the committee’s process should allow names to be attached to rankings for public traceability. Meeting staff said the standard protocol had been to average anonymized rankings for the council and that the averaged results — not individual signed sheets — were provided to council historically. “If you want us to follow the exact same protocol as we've done previously, then it's gonna be to average the scores and send an anonymized average,” the meeting secretary said.
The board also discussed the status of a current member, Will Schilling, who had missed multiple meetings. The city secretary explained that state law may provide for automatic removal after three consecutive absences, but the board’s bylaws require council review and action; the item will go to city council for determination.
Why it matters: EDC appointments determine the membership that will advise council on economic development projects and grant proposals. The board’s recommendation is advisory; city council makes final appointments.
The EDC chair invited applicants to speak during the meeting. Applicants who addressed the board described small-business and community-engagement backgrounds and suggested priorities such as business retention, events and modest placemaking projects. After presentations the board members completed ranking sheets; the city secretary tallied scores and read the resulting order aloud before the board voted to forward the list.
Decision and next steps: the EDC voted to send the ranked recommendations to city council. The city secretary said she will email the results to board members; council will consider appointments and may accept the EDC’s recommendations, select other candidates from the pool, or appoint none of the submitted names.
