Supervisors spar over IWPC representation as board weighs special assignments
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Summary
Board debate centered on which supervisor should represent Mendocino County on the Inland Water and Power Commission after a split on a prior resolution; arguments focused on whether the appointee must explicitly support the board’s earlier stance and on representation of unincorporated areas versus city interests.
A contentious exchange over the county’s representative to the Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC) dominated discussion of special assignments at the Jan. 6 Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supervisor Haschak proposed appointing Supervisor Mulhern as the IWPC representative and Supervisor Klein as the alternate, arguing that those who voted for a prior county resolution supporting IWPC work should fill the seat. Supervisor Klein and others objected, saying the representative’s role is to represent the full board rather than a single faction and warning against excluding dissenting voices. “When I serve on IWPC, I’m there representing Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,” a speaker said, urging that members be allowed to evolve on policy.
Public speakers and Sheriff Matt Kendall urged keeping Supervisor Klein in the role, saying dissent improves deliberation and prevents an echo chamber. Kendall told the board, “If conflict is not a bad thing, conflict helps us meet in the middle.” Members debated whether the IWPC seat has historically gone to a first-district supervisor to ensure unincorporated-area representation.
The board first voted on a motion to appoint Supervisor Mulherin as representative with Supervisor Klein as alternate; that motion failed on roll call. A subsequent motion to approve the chair’s recommended appointments, leaving Supervisor Klein in the IWPC role, passed unanimously.
The record shows the board considered the question both as a matter of policy consistency with a recent resolution and as an issue of representation and institutional trust; several supervisors signaled openness to revisiting assignments if an appointee later deems it necessary.