Following a day of interviewing 15 candidates for the soon to be vacated City Council seat, the 16 community panel members cast their ratings for their top picks. The top choices will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration at a special City Council meeting on December 6, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. at Santa Clarita City Hall. The new City Council member is expected to be installed at a special City Council meeting on December 19, 2006.
The top ranked candidates include: Bob Spierer, Bill Kennedy, Laurie Ender, Bill Bolde and Maria Gutzeit.
The Community Panel, selected by City Manager Ken Pulskamp, and approved by the City Council at their November 28, 2006 City Council meeting include: Jim Ventress Chief Professional Officer of the Boys and Girls Club; Dan Masnada, General Manager, Castaic Lake Water Agency; Dianne Van Hook College of the Canyons Superintendent; Connie Worden-Roberts, SCV Transportation Alliance co-chair; Chris Fall, SCV Chamber of Commerce President; Gary Marco, SCV Auto Dealers President; Samantha
Thomas, Domestic Violence Association Co-Executive Director; Al Ferdman, Canyon Country Advisory Committee Chair; Susan Shapiro; Public Access Community Programming Manager; Jenny Ketchepaw, SCV Jaycees President; Sean Herron, Visions in Progress City Liaison; Dora Zavala, Hispanic Chamber President; Richard Budman, Signal Newspaper publisher; Holly Shroeder, Building Industry Association Executive Officer, Phil Ellis, Redevelopment Committee Chair and Ian Swift, Placerita Nature Center.