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Mari Rodin reappointed to LAFCO after committee rejects coastal nominee
Summary
After a contested selection process, the City Selection Committee reappointed incumbent Mari Rodin to a full LAFCO term ending Dec. 31, 2029; an earlier motion to name Vice Mayor Marsha Rahm Emanuel failed on a split vote after members debated coastal representation and experience.
The City Selection Committee reappointed Mari Rodin to a full term on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) ending Dec. 31, 2029 after two rounds of nominations and votes.
Mari Rodin, the incumbent, addressed the committee during public comment saying she had ‘‘been serving on LAFCO over 10 years’’ and stressing the need for ‘‘a thorough familiarity of the LAFCO law so that we can apply the law to the applications in a very neutral objective way.’’ She urged colleagues to retain experienced representation as several potentially controversial applications approach the commission.
Committee members nominated three candidates for the seat: Mari Rodin; Barbara Berkey, who nominated herself; and Vice Mayor Marsha Rahm Emanuel. Supporters of Vice Mayor Rahm Emanuel argued for restoring coastal representation, saying a coastal perspective ‘‘seems like not a bad change’’ after the coastal seat had been absent for several years. Opponents emphasized continuity and LAFCO experience as reasons to keep Rodin in the seat.
A motion to appoint Vice Mayor Marsha Rahm Emanuel was put to a roll call vote and failed, with Mayor Berkey and Mayor Schafer voting no and Mayor Godek voting yes. The committee then moved to nominate and vote for Mari Rodin; that motion carried with Mayor Berkey and Mayor Schafer voting yes and Mayor Godek voting no.
The committee noted a correction to the agenda: the full-term seat discussed runs through Dec. 31, 2029 (the agenda had incorrectly listed an earlier expiration year). The committee did not receive online public comment on the nomination item beyond Rodin’s in-room remarks.
The committee’s action preserves an experienced LAFCO representative at a time members said will involve complex, potentially contentious applications; members who argued for a coastal representative said they may revisit geographic balance when terms end.
