Supervisors Consider Appointing Panels to Save Election Costs

The Board of Supervisors is considering changing the county’s two elected Municipal Advisory Councils to appointed boards because of the cost of conducting elections, officials said Wednesday.

But opponents said the supervisors should find cost savings other than reducing elected representation.

One council serves the unincorporated east county community of Oak Park. The other serves the unincorporated Ojai Valley areas of Casitas Springs, Oak View, Mira Monte and Meiners Oaks. All are along the Ventura River.

Each council, popularly called a MAC, has five members who serve four-year terms. But county officials said the elections are expensive and usually draw little interest.

“What the voter has to do is make a decision how much their elections are worth and how much they want to pay for them,” said Bruce Bradley, assistant county voter registrar.

Elections for both councils are scheduled for November, when there will be little else on the ballot, Bradley said. The Oak Park election will cost about $5,000, while the Ventura River Valley election will run about $10,000.

In 1991, an election for two Ventura River Valley council seats cost $5,000 but drew only 15% of voters. The 1991 election for the Oak Park council attracted a 20% turnout at a cost of $3,000. County officials stress that the councils have no real power.

“It’s important to clarify that they are not a city council. The MAC is an advisory board. They’re not policy-makers. They were created to advise the supervisor,” said Doug Johnson, administrative assistant to Supervisor Maria VanderKolk, who represents Oak Park.

But some oppose putting a price on the democratic system.

“In this country, politics is set on checks and balances. In Oak Park, the checks and balances between the county supervisor and the community is the MAC,” said Ron Stark, a longtime member of the Oak Park council.

“If they turn this into an appointed board, I’m out of there,” said Gary Orthuber of Meiners Oaks, a member of the Ventura River Valley council. He said the county can cut costs somewhere else. “They spill more in beer than these elections cost.”

Bradley and council members said another way to reduce costs is to incorporate council elections with the general elections in even-numbered years.

But one council member, Mike Frees of Mira Monte, said he doesn’t care what the supervisors decide.

‘It really doesn’t make any difference to me,” said Frees, who noted that council members receive no compensation. “Anyone’s welcome to it if they can do it. It’s a thankless job.”