OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Nov 7, 2025 Monterey City Council Board Interview Deliberations Summary

City Council — Friday, November 7, 2025
BodyMonterey, California
SessionCity Council
DateFriday, November 7, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:57

Transcript — Verbatim
0:50

And with that, we will open up for public comments.

1:01

Yes, you can.

1:03

I'll just quickly call roll and make the announcements.

1:05

So Councilmember Garcia.

1:08

Here.

1:08

And Mayor Williamson.

1:10

Here.

1:10

And public comment and participation information for this meeting is provided on the agenda, which is online at Monterey.gov slash agendas.

1:18

In-person attendees, please keep your electronic devices muted to prevent audio interference.

1:22

And thank you for participating in your city government.

1:24

Thanks, Tony Time.

1:25

Okay.

1:26

We will now open up for public comment.

1:30

Online.

1:36

Okay.

1:37

So yes, then on item.

1:39

So we'll we'll open up board committee and commission interviews and then we'll open up the public comments on that portion.

1:45

So please, yes.

1:49

Just to clarify, this would be on um Kimberly Turgan's application.

1:52

Oh, so we're gonna start.

1:56

Sorry, I apologize.

1:58

Yes.

1:58

Okay, okay.

2:00

Reverse.

2:02

It's another early still, so we're good.

2:04

We're gonna work through this.

2:06

Um, Kim, why don't you come on up and then let's see.

2:13

Can I steal these from you?

2:14

Do you have you have them electronically?

2:18

Okay.

2:25

We're gonna get there.

2:26

We're gonna get there.

2:27

Um okay, give me one second here.

2:30

Let me let me like try to get together a little bit better.

2:36

Do you need to copy what I might?

2:39

That'd be great.

2:42

Oh, we're good then.

2:43

We're good.

2:45

Yep.

3:01

Okay.

3:11

Um, which is Kim.

3:13

And so I will pass it to Councilmember Garcia to kick us off with the interview.

3:18

All right.

3:20

Good morning.

3:23

I'm so sorry to interrupt, but if you could scoot closer to the microphone, please, then we'll be able to hear you on Zoom.

3:28

Thank you.

3:29

What would we do without Clementine?

3:31

I know.

3:33

Yeah.

3:35

Is that better?

3:37

I think it should be.

3:38

Yes.

3:38

Thanks.

3:39

I don't buy it.

3:40

So well, thank you for being here today and for your interest in serving the community through one of our um city uh one of the city of Monterey's boards, commissions and committees.

3:52

Uh my name is Gino Garcia.

3:54

I'm the vice mayor.

3:54

I'm here with our mayor Tyler Williamson.

3:57

We truly appreciate the time and thought you've put into applying and your willingness to contribute uh to the civic life of Monterey.

4:04

This is a public meeting, and we'll be conducting brief interviews with each applicant.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Board Operations█████████████████████████29%
Arts And Culture████████9%
Procedural█████6%
Zoning And Land Use███3%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Board Committee and Commission Interview Deliberations - November 7, 2025

The City Council convened for the final deliberations regarding appointments to various city boards, commissions, and committees following a three-day interview period for applicants. Vice Mayor Gino Garcia and Mayor Tyler Williamson led the session, evaluating candidates based on enthusiasm, relevant experience, and adherence to the city's new term limit policies. Public comments were heard from residents advocating for transparency, the importance of community representation on the NCIP, and general support for the new public interview process. The meeting concluded with the Council reaching consensus on specific candidates for each vacancy, with appointments to be finalized at the November 18th Council meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • (No items listed; discussion focused on deliberative selections.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Elizabeth Yannish: Expressed strong support for the new precedent of holding public interviews, stating that it validates the "partnership" between citizens and the city and requires "courage" to open governance to public view. She advocated for trusting the community process, especially for residents unable to attend at 8:30 a.m., to strengthen the "three-legged table" of city governance.
  • Tom Raleigh (President, Fisherman's Flats Homeowners and Residents Association): Expressed disappointment regarding previous lack of representation from the neighborhood on the Neighborhood Council Improvement Program (NCIP), noting that the current representative failed to report for two meetings and the former alternate resigned. He strongly supported the appointment of Diane Solomony as the new alternate, citing her 10+ years of residence and qualification, and urged for expedited appointment procedures to address a backlog of NCIP projects. He proposed that the previous appointment method for NCIP representatives worked effectively.
  • Aylin Phillip: Expressed support and gratitude for the opportunity to serve the community in the capacity of a museum and cultural board applicant, emphasizing her passion for Monterey.
  • Unidentified Zoom Caller (Tom): Expressed 100% support for the process, agreeing with Ms. Yannish that conducting meetings in public is a "positive step" that enhances transparency and allows the community to witness how civic work is conducted.

Discussion Items

  • Process and Selection Criteria: Council members noted the high level of enthusiasm among applicants. Vice Mayor Garcia emphasized that enthusiasm is a primary driver for selection, while Mayor Williamson added a preference for creating space for "new voices" due to the term limit policy; specifically, he noted an incumbent (Mike Brassfield) has served 12 years and should not be reappointed to maintain consistency with city policy.
  • Discrepancy in Applicant Data: Staff noted an error regarding Julieta Garib's district assignment in the source material (corrected from District 3 to District 4), though this did not impact the Council's selection decision.
  • Board Selection Deliberations:
    • Historic Properties Commission (HPC): Both Council members selected Kathy Collum, Linda Rath, and Juan Rodriguez for the three available seats.
    • Measure S/Parks Committee (One Seat): Both Council members selected Thomas Bruno.
    • Monterey Cultural Arts Commission (MCAC): Both selected Maylin (Phillip) and Monique. A divergence occurred on the final seats; Vice Mayor Garcia selected Kathy (referring to a candidate who also applied for HPC) while Mayor Williamson selected Bill, citing term limits (Bill has served the maximum time).
    • Parks and Recreation Commission: Both selected Sydney Crampton and Julieta Garib for the two available seats.
    • Planning Commission: Both agreed on Eric Palmer and Dave Stoker. Mayor Williamson initially struggled with the third seat but, after clarifying that a preference exists for two architects on the commission (to maintain expertise during a merger with the Architectural Review Committee), agreed to select Gabe Sanders. Councilman Garcia clarified that Mike Brassfield, the incumbent, serves 12 years and will not be reappointed.
    • Neighborhood Council Improvement Program (NCIP) - Skyline: Both selected Taylor Deinhart.
    • NCIP - Del Monte Beach: Both selected George McNeely.
    • NCIP - Fisherman's Flats: Both selected Diane (Solomony).
    • NCIP - Deer Flats: Both selected David Overton.
    • NCIP - Oak Grove: Both selected Ilse.
    • NCIP - Glenwood Circle: Both selected Amanda Priest.
    • NCIP - Del Monte Grove/Laguna Grande: Both selected Joseph.

Key Outcomes

  • Recommendations Made: The Council unanimously recommended the following candidates for appointment to the respective boards and commissions:
    • HPC: Kathy Collum, Linda Rath, Juan Rodriguez.
    • Measure S: Thomas Bruno.
    • MCAC: Maylin Phillip, Monique, Kathy (as per Vice Mayor's preference), and Bill (as per Mayor's preference; final decision pending term limit constraints).
    • Parks & Rec: Sydney Crampton, Julieta Garib.
    • Planning Commission: Eric Palmer, Dave Stoker, Gabe Sanders (Mike Brassfield declined due to term limits).
    • NCIP Seats: Taylor Deinhart (Skyline), George McNeely (Del Monte Beach), David Overton (Deer Flats), Ilse (Oak Grove), Amanda Priest (Glenwood Circle), Diane Solomony (Fisherman's Flats), Joseph (Del Monte Grove).
  • Next Steps: The Council confirmed that these recommendations will be presented for a formal vote at the November 18th City Council meeting. Staff expressed gratitude for the workload regarding the board/committee merger and the interview coordination.

Meeting Transcript

And with that, we will open up for public comments. Yes, you can. I'll just quickly call roll and make the announcements. So Councilmember Garcia. Here. And Mayor Williamson. Here. And public comment and participation information for this meeting is provided on the agenda, which is online at Monterey.gov slash agendas. In-person attendees, please keep your electronic devices muted to prevent audio interference. And thank you for participating in your city government. Thanks, Tony Time. Okay. We will now open up for public comment. Online. Okay. So yes, then on item. So we'll we'll open up board committee and commission interviews and then we'll open up the public comments on that portion. So please, yes. Just to clarify, this would be on um Kimberly Turgan's application. Oh, so we're gonna start. Sorry, I apologize. Yes. Okay, okay. Reverse. It's another early still, so we're good. We're gonna work through this. Um, Kim, why don't you come on up and then let's see. Can I steal these from you? Do you have you have them electronically? Okay. We're gonna get there. We're gonna get there. Um okay, give me one second here. Let me let me like try to get together a little bit better. Do you need to copy what I might? That'd be great. Oh, we're good then. We're good. Yep. Okay. Um, which is Kim. And so I will pass it to Councilmember Garcia to kick us off with the interview. All right. Good morning. I'm so sorry to interrupt, but if you could scoot closer to the microphone, please, then we'll be able to hear you on Zoom. Thank you. What would we do without Clementine? I know. Yeah. Is that better?

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