Placentia : Schoolteacher Chosen City Council Member

Without much fanfare, the City Council has chosen a new member.

Carol Downey, a Placentia Unified School District teacher, will be sworn in Tuesday. She replaces Bob Kuznik, who resigned Sept. 30.

Downey, a member of the Friends of Placentia Library Executive Board and Placentia Founders Club, was one of nine applicants for the position. Council members had deadlocked during the Oct. 15 meeting but narrowed the list to four.

Downey won unanimous approval from the four council members on Tuesday. The decision followed a 3-1 vote for Downey, with one vote going to Planning Commission Chairman Emile Conforti.

Mayor George Ziegler said Wednesday that he is “very pleased” that the council met its 30-day deadline for the replacement selection. A deadlock on the appointment would have forced the holding of a special election costing between $10,000 and $12,000.

“There are other important issues that the city needs to address now,” Ziegler said.

The most immediate issues, Ziegler pointed out, are ballot measures in next Tuesday’s election, particularly an advisory vote on a utility-users tax. Although the increase from 3% to 5% in telephone, electricity, cable television and gas bills went into effect April 1, the issue won a place on the ballot after the council received a petition signed by 3,000 registered voters opposing the tax increase.