Monterey City Council Subcommittee Interviews for Boards, Commissions, and Committees - March 9, 2026
Monterey City Council Subcommittee Interviews for Boards, Commissions, and Committees - March 9, 2026
On March 9, 2026, a subcommittee composed of Mayor Tyler Williamson and Vice Mayor Ed Smith held a public meeting to interview applicants for several city boards, commissions, and committees. The meeting began with a moment of recognition for a fire that occurred in Monterey that day, which impacted senior residents and resulted in at least one casualty. The subcommittee expressed gratitude to first responders.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the meeting.
Applicant Interviews
- Charlie Cho (applied for Appeals Hearing Board): Heard about the opportunity via email and neighborhood association. Background in software and internet security. Attended one appeals meeting as an appellant. Emphasized analytical skills and willingness to research thoroughly. Demonstrated collaborative approach by listening and finding common ground.
- Michael D. (applied for Appeals Hearing Board and Measure P/S Oversight Committee): Heard via Monterey Matters email. Background in education (public school teacher, adjunct psychology instructor). Preferred Measure P/S for its practical focus on street repairs. Had not attended meetings; noted a potential scheduling conflict with current semester (teaches Thursdays at 11:20 a.m.) but expected flexibility. Emphasized focusing on shared goals to resolve disagreements.
- Catherine Edgerton (Kate) (applied for TAMC Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee): Heard via Monterey Weekly. Background as a writing instructor at Naval Postgraduate School. Pedestrian commuter and recreational cyclist. Had not attended meetings but read minutes. Volunteer with League of Women Voters and poll worker. Stressed importance of inclusive communication and evidence-based decision-making.
- Susie Bryan (applied for TAMC Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee): Heard via city website. Background in bike tourism and experience living in car-free cities. Attended one previous meeting. Enthusiastic about bike infrastructure and emphasized listening to diverse community needs. Hoped to reflect community needs accurately.
- Diane (applied for TAMC Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee): Heard via neighborhood newsletter. Background in creative field, former school board member, avid cyclist and walker. Had not attended meetings. Emphasized staying focused on mission, listening, and being open to new ideas. Also shared insights from umpiring experience about consistency and positioning.
Key Outcomes
- The subcommittee completed interviews with five applicants on March 9, 2026, and will conduct two additional interviews on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
- After all interviews, Mayor Williamson and Vice Mayor Smith will deliberate and make recommendations to the full City Council.
- The City Council will consider the appointments at its meeting on March 17, 2026.
- The public is invited to attend that meeting.
Meeting Transcript
With the public.gov slash agenda. In person attendees, please keep your electronic devices muted to prevent audio interference. Consistent with the First Amendment and the Brown Act individuals have the right to speak at public meetings, which includes the right to criticize or support city policies or actions. Yeah, when we interview the final applicants. Perfect. Perfect. So what we have and what we did for the interviews last year um was utilize the interview script. And so we have the opening remarks, the interview question section, and then the conclusion section. Um and and essentially my thought is that we just rotate and after with each interview, the next person starts. Okay. So I can kick us off with the first interview with the opening remarks, and then you kick us off with the first question, and then I go to second question, then it goes back to you for the third. So we just go back and forth. Okay. Um, and then yeah. And if we need to, we can ask some additional follow-up questions. Um I think that's about it. Pretty straightforward. I think so. I think so. Okay. All right. So first up, we have Charlie Cho. Um, so sir, why don't you step right on up? Uh, this is your seat here. And I just turned the mic on for you. So you should be all set. All right. Hi, Charlie. Hi, pleasure to be with you today. Yeah. Thanks for coming in. Oh, sure, sure. And again, I'm sorry that I was late. I had a call I could not get off of. Yeah. That's a business related call. My apologies. So yeah, it's I think there's something in the air today. Uh um and Monday. And actually, before we kick off, I I apologize as well for being um uh a bit tardy running from work myself having uh a call. Um, but before we begin, I actually just kind of wanted to take a moment to kind of recognize there's the the fire that happened today in Monterey. Um, a lot of our residents, particularly seniors in in the complex were impacted by this. And so just want to say that our hearts go out to all those that are are impacted. I understand that there was um at least one casualty um at this point. And so um for all those affected, whether directly or indirectly, um, our our hearts go out to you. And um, I'm I'm thankful for the city's response. Our our first responders, um, I understand working with CERT um worked long hours trying to do the best that they could to respond to the emergency and um and there's still a lot of uh work ahead because there's a lot of families um displaced by this. So um just thank you to the entire team for for the work that's been done to to support our residents that have been impacted. Yeah, concur. Absolutely.
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