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Residents clash over ROV appointment; callers ask board to reimburse citizens sued by county
Summary
Public commenters at the April 8 meeting debated whether Joanna Francesca should be interim Registrar of Voters, with speakers both urging her appointment and alleging election-handling problems; several commenters also urged the board to reimburse five citizens who were sued by the county for petition activity — the matter was discussed in closed session and no reportable action was announced.
A large group of residents used public comment on April 8 to express sharply divided views about the county elections office and the impending appointment of a Registrar of Voters.
Some commenters, including current and former county employees and voters, urged the board to appoint Joanna Francesca as interim ROV, citing her 16 years of county elections experience and on‑the‑job problem solving. Other public speakers accused county election staff of poor record keeping and alleged a range of irregularities in recent elections, asked the board not to appoint Francesca, and said state election law had been violated in past procedures.
Several speakers also asked the board to reimburse five citizens who said they incurred legal fees after the county sued them over petition-related activity. Multiple public commenters described the expense and asked the board to make the plaintiffs whole. The matter was discussed in closed session (items R4 and R5) and the board later reported no reportable action from closed session.
The board did not make an appointment at the meeting; supervisors heard public testimony and then recessed to closed session for R4 and R5. Upon return, County Counsel reported that those closed-session items were heard and that there was no reportable action.
