McCracken Is Bumped From Budget Advisory Commission

Shirley McCracken, who unsuccessfully sued the city in January for a seat on the City Council, was left off the Budget Advisory Commission when new members were appointed by the council this week.

The new appointments were part of a revamping process that reduced the number of commission members from 10 to seven in order to bring it down to the size of other city commissions.

When council members proposed the reduction earlier this year, Mayor Tom Daly said he anticipated that the five current members interested in staying on the panel would likely be reappointed. But during nominations Tuesday, McCracken was the only member applying for reappointment who did not receive the necessary support.

“It’s a very strange return of events,” McCracken said Wednesday. “I don’t know where these gentlemen are coming from. I’ve worked hard and diligently and given my time and talent. If that’s not needed, I will find something else to do.”

McCracken had served on the commission since its inception in 1991 and served as chairwoman for three of those years.

Councilman Lou Lopez nominated McCracken for the final available seat, but she lost after tying with another nominee.

“She’s given a lot of years and a lot of valuable time and has a tremendous amount of expertise,” Lopez said. “I thought she did an excellent job.”

Council members who did not support McCracken’s nomination denied that there was a concerted effort to keep her off the panel, although they gave no public explanation for her not being reappointed.

McCracken was twice nominated to fill a council seat left vacant by an election quirk and received two votes, which she contended were enough to seat her since Councilman Bob Zemel abstained from voting. A judge disagreed.

New members of the commission are Jeff Farano, president of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce; former City Council candidate Phil Knypstra; and Dan Van Dorp. Those reappointed are Gene Brewer, Jimmie Kennedy, Kathryn Freshley and Ben Bay.