Panel Selections
The Oceanside City Council will soon appoint three residents to fill three upcoming vacancies on the Planning Commission. The new planning commissioners will serve a four-year term which expires on April 15, 1994.
Considering how important the Planning Commission is to the future development of our city, you would think that the qualifications of all applicants would be discussed by the City Council at an open hearing. But this is not true. The practice is to reward someone’s best buddy with a plum appointment and be done with it.
Based on the City Council’s fondness for closed sessions and secret negotiations, I have no expectations that the planning commissioner selection process will be open to public scrutiny. But the newspapers should publicize the names, background and qualifications of the applicants so that the public can be aware of how well the council has done its job of selecting our new commissioners.
GEORGE A. DRAKE
Oceanside
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