In a meeting filled with passionate arguments, surprise twists and dark insinuations, Arcata City Councilmember Alex Stillman had her appointment to the board of directors for the North Coast Railroad Authority rescinded this afternoon by the same body that appointed her in May. And after some confusion, a vote, more confusion and two re-votes, she was replaced on that agency’s board by Fortuna Mayor Doug Strehl.
On its face this would seem to be a “win” — albeit a messy one — for die-hard rail boosters, who viewed Stillman’s support of environmental causes and rails with trails as a deviation from scripture. Her May appointment to the NCRA board had been called into question by Eureka attorney Bill Bertain, who argued that a procedural technicality had rendered the move invalid.
The setting for Tuesday’s political showdown was a meeting of the Mayor’s City Selection Committee, which comprises the mayors of the county’s seven incorporated cities. But, in one of the day’s many twists, Eureka City Councilmember Mike Newman was sitting in for Mayor Frank Jager.
That’s significant because Jager voted with the 4-2 majority back in May to appoint Stillman, while rumor had it that Newman would switch Eureka’s allegiance and vote for Strehl. And if that happened, it would place Ferndale Mayor Stuart Titus, who missed the May meeting, in the role of tie-breaker.
The early stages of the meeting were occupied with more-or-less friendly debate about whether the matter even warranted reconsideration. Was the procedural snafu that Bertain alleged legitimate? Dave Tranberg, legal counsel for the Humboldt County Association of Governments, said that Stillman’s appointment was probably valid, but it couldn’t hurt to go back and re-do the vote, just so any aggrieved parties (such as Bertain) had no legal ground to stand on.
And so, after some debate, Stillman’s appointment was rescinded, despite “no” votes from Arcata Mayor Shane Brinton, Blue Lake Mayor Sherman Schapiro and Trinidad Mayor Julie Fulkerson. The stage was set for the anticipated 3-3 tie and the Titus tie breaker.
But Titus had a surprise planned: After some diplomatic throat-clearing, he nominated himself for the vacant position, arguing that he’d been doing a lot of research on NCRA issues recently and could be considered a middle-ground compromise candidate.
Fulkerson, with (perhaps mock) delight, turned to Newman and said, “C’mon, jump in!” as if encouraging him to join the growing list of candidates. She smiled. “This is a great twist.”
With three candidates now on the floor, the public weighed in — mostly government meeting regulars voicing support for either Stillman (“strong leader,” “open minded,” “trails”) or Strehl (“jobs,” “rail first,” “jobs”).
More than an hour into the meeting, the mayors themselves argued their positions, with none arguing more forcefully than Fulkerson. She expressed appreciation for Stillman’s political achievements over the years and suggested that her appointment was being jeopardized by back-room politics.
“We have a viable, strong candidate on the board who’s already attended two meetings,” Fulkerson said. “And what the heck does it look like that we’re having this hour-long discussion and changing our minds? For what reason? Something I was not privy to. Something that went on behind closed doors.”
After singing Stillman’s praises a bit more, Fulkerson elaborated on the political mystery. “I don’t know what happened in Eureka. Frank [Jager] was here last time. He saw that this was an opportunity to build bridges, to do something inside the county and outside that would make a difference. And something happened. And I don’t think it’s going to be discussed. But I find it offensive. …
“I just think we need to stick with our decision,” she continued, “and hopefully move this forward without too many people hearing about it, because it’s embarrassing, frankly.”
Finally, it came time to vote. Fulkerson, Brinton and Schapiro voted for Stillman. Newman, Rio Dell Mayor Jack Thompson and Strehl himself voted for Strehl. And Titus voted for Titus. 3-3-1.
Confusion ensued. What was the procedure in case of a tie? A majority of the board was needed to make an appointment, it was agreed. And if the committee failed to do so at this meeting, it would probably lose its chance: Appointing rights would fall to Mendocino.
Schapiro asked Titus if he’d withdraw his candidacy; Titus refused.
Fulkerson called on Newman to “honor the spirit” of Jager and switch his vote to Stillman; Newman refused.
The committee voted again — with the same result: 3-3-1.
Finally, Tranberg, the committee’s legal counsel, found a section in the bylaws to move things along. Elections with multiple candidates are to proceed through a process of elimination, meaning the candidate with the fewest votes (Titus, in this case), gets eliminated.
The committee voted again. And this time Titus, no longer allowed to vote for himself, cast his vote for Strehl. Meeting adjourned.
This article appears in Subdividing Humboldt.
I’m new to the area so it’s all a little foggy but that’s some great coverage Ryan, Thank You!
this seems like a news story from some county in Texas. good reporting (ryan burns is a boon to local journalism) but definitely creepy.
So, thanks in large part to Mike Newman, we’ve gone from Stillman, who was concerned with getting the NCRA’s finances in order to Strehl, who sees a great future for us in extraction of unspecified resources (fishing and timber having been exhausted) that will be moved by train on a huge “loop” (since we don’t want to be a remote “rail spur”).
I knew we were in trouble when Rio Dell Mayor Jack Thompson waxed bullish about how much less expensive it will be when we haul our garbage out on trains.
Great job Ryan. Blow by freaking blow! Julie knows what’s up. She did a heroic job trying to keep Alex on the board. Humboldt County’s politics have gone back decades into the dark days of good old boys making deals in private. Shame on them.
Tourism is our main game going into the future but these guys would rather have the rail sit unused. Jobs my ass.
Former Humboldt County supervisor and Trinidad mayor Julie Fulkerson’s point about “back room deals” deserves follow-up….a common media function from a bygone era.
In light of this “shocking” reversal, Eureka residents will now endure their mayor’s “deepest respect” for his proxy’s “independent, personal judgement”, a judgement Eureka’s mayor already made in supporting Stillman but is loath to defend, he needed Newman for damage control!
You’d have to go to Texas to find that kind of loyalty in a $500 a month city council seat.
Like everywhere else, the biggest campaign donors call the political shots in Humboldt, they have zero tolerance for a perceived wild-card in any elected or appointed office.
Mike Newman is pretty much King Midas in reverse. When he touches anything, it turns into caca. And it was obvious that Jager got his instructions from the back room, and decided not to do a 180 in public, so he had Mikey try it. Newman actually thinks no one notices his love of the back room deal, but not everyone in this county is as dumb as Lance or Rex or Virginia. Strehl and Thompson are just as slimy you’d expect, and Titus is about half as clever as he sees himself. Quite a menagerie of local parlor-trickians, all playing their games. This is the worst Eureka city council in at least three decades, and the worst County supes in at least two decades, the Fair Board is a sad joke on the County, and this board sounds like a cloosterfook as well.
Is there a train on the logo of the NCRA, or is it a rare case of truth in advertising? It looks to me like a big tree sitting in the middle of a river, or maybe the ocean.