The Hollister City Council as a whole had an attendance rate of
87 percent for the past year, according to council meeting agenda
minutes examined by the Free Lance from Nov. 5 of last year until
Oct. 20.
Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series analyzing attendance on local boards.
HOLLISTER
The Hollister City Council as a whole had an attendance rate of 87 percent for the past year, according to council meeting agenda minutes examined by the Free Lance from Nov. 5 of last year until Oct. 20.
Of the 24 meetings held in that period, Mayor Doug Emerson and Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia missed just one during that period. Emerson said that he was on a two-week vacation and was out of town during the April 21 meeting. Valdivia was not in attendance in March due to an illness.
Councilwoman Monica Johnson missed four meetings in that span of time. One of those meetings was missed due to a burst pipe in her office at work, she said. Council members Brad Pike and Eugenia Sanchez both missed five meetings. Pike and Sanchez did not return phone calls before press time.
Both Emerson and Valdivia emphasized the importance of attendance and the mayor contended that each of the council members, despite attendance at meetings, has been there to help citizens when needed.
“City council is not a full-time position,” Emerson said. “There is no salary attached with it.”
Valdivia said tries to not miss many meetings because attendance is the most important aspect of the job.
“It’s number one,” she said. “It’s a big commitment to be there. I think its important to be tuned in to make decisions.”
Emerson is an unique position compared to the other members because he is retired and has the ability to attend more meetings without conflicts from work. Even though she is not retired, Valdivia said she commits herself 100 percent to her job and 100 percent to the council. She has even worked with her agency to ensure that her ability to attend meetings.
“I take it seriously,” she said.
Illnesses and other commitments do arise, causing a member to miss meetings, and Emerson said he understands these issues.
“I understand the others council members’ attendance,” he said.
Emerson used the example of Pike’s recent change in job as a cause for some of his absences. Pike is a firefighter whose department recently merged with another one.
“I understand (Pike’s) circumstances, his work demands changed last year.”
Sanchez misses nearly half of special meetings
Counting just special meetings that sometimes come up with little notice, Councilwoman Eugenia Sanchez missed the most meetings among her peers while being absent nearly 50 percent of the time.
From Nov. 5 through the Oct. 20 meeting of this year, Sanchez had missed seven of 16 special council meetings, or about 44 percent, according to Hollister City Council meeting agenda minutes. Five of those seven absences have been since July and two of them were among three mid-summer budget hearings.
Councilman Brad Pike, meanwhile, missed four of 16 special meetings, or 25 percent. Mayor Doug Emerson missed three, or 19 percent.
Councilwoman Monica Johnson missed two meetings, while Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia missed just one special meeting during that year.
