| | Published August 28th, 2024
| Moraga town council appoints all candidates to fill upcoming vacant seats
| | | By Vera Kochan | | |
This upcoming election, Moraga voters would have been tasked to vote for three candidates to fill the seats of incumbent town council members whose terms are ending at the end of the year (Mayor Teresa Onoda, Council Members Renata Sos, and David Shapiro). Given that only three candidates threw their hats into the ring, the town council held a special meeting on Aug. 21 in order to appoint those candidates to fill the seats and save Moraga's taxpayers the expense of a local election this Nov. 5.
Town Clerk Amy Heavener's staff report stated that "Brian Dolan, Lisa Maglio, and Graham Thiel filed nomination paperwork and qualified as official candidates by the Contra Costa County Elections Division." The report continued, "According to State Elections Code 10229, when an equal number of qualified candidates equals the number of open seats, Town Council may, at a regular or special meeting held before the municipal election, adopt one of the following courses of action: Appoint to Town Council the individuals who have been nominated; or hold the Town Council election on Nov. 5."
By choosing to appoint the three candidates to the town council, Moraga is expected to save a significant amount of money. The County estimates that, at a cost of $3.26 per registered voter (which as of June 5 was 12,783), the town's savings could amount to nearly $41,700.
With a vote of 4-0 (Council Member David Shapiro was absent), the council appointed the three candidates to the Moraga Town Council and canceled the Nov. 5 local election.
During the meeting, it was noted how qualified for the positions the incoming candidates are. Dolan has recently served as Interim Town Manager, Maglio besides being an attorney has served on the Planning Commission and is a vice president with the Moraga Community Foundation, and Thiel is into his second term with the Planning Commission.
While Dolan could not be present during the meeting, Maglio and Thiel had the opportunity to say a few words. "There are some big challenges that I'm looking forward to, and one of those, I do agree with many, is implementing the Housing Element -- I have a great interest in that," said Maglio. "I have a great interest in affordable housing, and I look forward to working with the town on making sure we are able to implement our fair share of affordable housing, but there are many other challenges that I look forward to, too."
"It has been an honor and privilege working in my current capacity as a planning commissioner for the Town of Moraga," Thiel stated. "I look forward to working with you -- the ones who remain, and I wish to thank the ones who are departing for their time and service and commitment to this town. I look forward to doing them the similar honor in continuing on in the work we have yet to accomplish."
"It's a wonderful time for our town as we look to the future with optimism and hope," Onoda said. "We are fortunate to have three outstanding candidates stepping forward for the town council. Each brings unique strengths and a deep commitment to our community. Their dedication to our town's values and their vision for our shared future makes them more than qualified to lead us forward."
The three candidates will officially be sworn in as council members during the Dec. 11 regular meeting. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA