HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14332
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14332)
Office of the City Clerk
City Council CAO Report
Meeting Date: 5/2/2022 Report Type: Special Orders of the Day
Title: Appointment of Candidates for the Parks and Recreation Commission
From: Lesley Milton, City Clerk
Recommendation Staff recommends City Council vote to appoint candidates to the following
position on the Parks and Recreation Commission: • One (1) position with a term ending on March 31, 2023. **A majority vote (4 yes’s) is required to appoint each applicant. Background Boards and Commissions are established as advisory bodies to the City
Council, made up of community volunteers that provide essential feedback on matters of importance to the community. The City Clerk’s office advertises and recruits for vacancies, the Council considers the applications, interviews desired candidates, and makes recommendations for appointment for the open positions. On December 13, 2021, City Council appointed Parks and Recreation Commissioner Keith Reckdahl to the Planning and Transportation
Commission. As such, the current vacancy staff is requesting to be filled is: • One (1) position on the Parks and Recreation Commission, with term expiring March 31, 2023 For the Parks and Recreation Commission special recruitment effort, The City received a total of 5 qualified applications; 2 new applications were submitted during the 2022 recruitment period and 3 applications were from the previous Fall recruitment.
Interviews
At the April 11, 2022 City Council meeting, the Council elected to interview all 5 applicants received (04-11 PRC Recruitment Report). Interviews will be
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conducted on April 25, 2022 at approximately 5:30 PM as a special City Council meeting. Video recordings of the interviews will be made available
on our City of Palo Alto YouTube Channel for the public and Council Members who are unable to attend. All applications received for these positions can be accessed online (All PRC Applications). City Council will incorporate all interviews into the final selection. Membership Requirements
Per PAMC 2.25.010, The Parks and Recreation Commission requires each member of the commission to have Palo Alto residency and demonstrated interest in parks, open space and recreation matters. Parks and Recreation Commission: One position Term ending March 31, 2023 • Palo Alto Residency • Each member of the Commission shall have a demonstrated interest in parks, open space and recreation matters. • NEWLY RECEIVED APPLICANTS: 1. Lester Ezrati 2. Jason Schmidt • PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED APPLICANTS: 3. Joy Oche 4. Mark Weiss 5. Eve Klein Public Outreach Palo Alto Municipal Code 2.16.060 requires public notification regarding vacancies of the Commissions as follows, “The City Clerk shall exercise their discretion in choosing the method of advertisement that will most effectively reach potential candidates.” Based on the September 14, 2021 Policy & Services Committee meeting report (available here) regarding Board and Commission Member demographics and community representation the City Clerk’s office expanded recruitment efforts through additional means to “most effectively reach potential candidates”. The Fall 2021 Boards and Commission recruitment invited applications from September 16, 2021 through October 26, 2021 through the new online application process. From that previous recruitment, 3 unselected applicants of the 15 confirmed their continued interest for the vacancy. The Parks and Recreation Commission special recruitment invited applications from March 14, 2022 through April 4, 2022. The vacancy was advertised through various methods in partnership with the Communications team. This included paid and digital print advertisements in the Daily Post; via the City’s website and social media channels; in
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physical locations of the Palo Alto Libraries and Community Centers; and distributed by e-mail and through the City subscription-based notification
lists.