10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY february 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news When the four-member Del Rey Oaks City Council convened for a special meeting on Feb. 9, they were faced with two options: appoint one of two applicants to fill a vacant seat on the council created when Mayor Scott Donaldson—a former council member with two years left in his term—unseated former mayor Alison Kerr last November. Or, at a cost up to about $25,000, they could let the voters decide in a special election next November. When the council considered six applicants for the vacant seat in January, four of them withdrew their applications during the meeting, as the council was unable to reach a consensus. Only Bill RagsdaleCronin—a planning commissioner—and Louise Goetzelt, who ran for city council last year and lost, remained. With a deadlocked council, a special election to fill the vacancy seemed probable. But Donaldson, who ran on a platform of healing the city’s divisions, extended an olive branch to councilmembers Kim Shirley and John Uy, saying he would accept a motion to appoint Ragsdale-Cronin, Shirley and Uy’s preferred candidate. Ragsdale-Cronin was sworn in minutes later. (He was appointed 3-1, with Councilmember Jeremy Hallock dissenting.) Donaldson says he came to that compromise after reflecting on what it means to be mayor: “I thought it was ultimately doing what’s best for the city as a whole.” He was also cognizant of the fiscal impact of a special election for a cash-starved city. Ragsdale-Cronin, who positioned himself as a “centrist,” says he figured he would stay in the race and see how it played out, but was “caught completely off-guard” when he was appointed. Odd Number Del Rey Oaks City Council appoints Bill Ragsdale-Cronin to a vacant seat, avoiding election. By David Schmalz For the official ceremony installing her as president of CSU Monterey Bay on Friday, Feb. 10, Vanya Quiñones and her administrative leadership team walked into the World Theater to the tune of “One Love” by Bob Marley and The Wailers, with the message of “Let’s get together and feel all right.” During her first six months as president beginning in August, the love apparently did not extend to one member of her management team, Larry Samuels, who was serving as vice president of strategic initiatives. In an email sent Dec. 1, Quiñones announced to faculty and staff that she was streamlining operations by eliminating Samuels’ vice president position and shuffling him back to a lower-level position he previously held for a time under former CSUMB president Eduardo Ochoa, special assistant to the president. Samuels was no longer a member of the president’s cabinet and no longer executive director of University Corp., a legally separate nonprofit that manages grants and contracts for CSUMB and manages housing, dining and other campus services. No announcement was made to the public about the reorganization. Quiñones put Glen Nelson, vice president of administration and finance and CSUMB’s chief financial officer, in charge of University Corp., with over $68 million in assets reported to the IRS in 2021. CSUMB’s director of strategic initiatives, Anya Spear, was moved to the Division of Administration and Finance. Quiñones announced other changes to her administration as well. Within days, Samuels was gone from CSUMB. He took a job with UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive as special adviser for economic development and partnerships, a similar role to the one he had for years at CSUMB: fostering relationships with local governments and partnerships with private businesses to pursue projects designed to further the educational mission of the university. Samuels confirmed his new job, but declined to comment on his departure from CSUMB. One of Samuel’s public/private partnership development projects announced in October is now off, according to an email sent to faculty and staff on Jan. 24 by Nelson. The planned 72-acre development at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 8th Street in Marina included up to 1,700 apartments for families and senior citizens and a town center with shops and restaurants, open space, trails and a gathering and entertainment space. Nelson said that after a review of feedback from the CSUMB community, the financial needs of the project and its possible benefit to students, the CSUMB “leadership team has determined development of the site is not an option at this time. “Given our need to focus resources and attention on increasing enrollment and improving the student experience on campus, we want to direct our collective energy and resources on projects” directly related to students and the campus community, Nelson wrote. Like the rest of the California State University, which is down 7-percent in enrollment this year, CSUMB has seen a decline in student enrollment by at least 5 percent since 2020. Nelson added that the parcel “remains an important part of CSUMB’s future and we are open to pursuing the appropriate development of the site, with campus input, at some point in the future.” Larry Samuels on the CSUMB campus while he was still employed in the President’s Office. After losing his job as a vice president in December, he left for UC Santa Cruz. Second Thought CSUMB’s new president shakes up her administration and a big building project is shelved. By Pam Marino New Del Rey Oaks City Councilmember Bill Ragsdale-Cronin says he looks forward to connecting with all DRO residents, not just the “vocal minority” who often speak up at meetings. “Development of the site is not an option at this time.” nic coury Daniel Dreifuss
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==