Magner named to park district board
Deadlock broken to make decision
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

When the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District board of directors deadlocked after two meetings on a decision to fill a vacancy, one member's vote made all the difference.

Paul Rockenstein, who will have served on the district's board for 13 years this April, broke a 2-2 stalemate last Thursday night when he voted for Elaine Magner to fill the fifth seat on the board of directors.

With approval from board members Rockenstein, Mark Malloy and Bob Kelley, Magner edged Anita Lawrence 3-1 for the job. In the following vote to officially appoint Magner, it passed 4-0; Patty Hamm changed her pick in a show of solidarity with the board.

"I'm glad they welcomed me with a unanimous vote," Magner said. "It's easier to walk in when you know you have everyone on your side."

Magner was sworn in during Wednesday's regular meeting.

Longtime member Nancy Bush died late last year, forcing her fellow board members to select her replacement.

If the board had not reached a consensus by the Jan. 31 deadline, Camarillo voters would have made the decision during the Nov. 4 elections. If that were the case, the fifth member would most likely have been sworn in on Dec. 3.

Rockenstein did not want the board to go a full calendar year without a five-member park board.

"I just felt that the public deserved to have a full board in place," Rockenstein said this week. "I really didn't want to have that position open for the rest of year. . . . It seemed to me that no one was going to change their mind. I do respect their opinions, but if I hadn't changed my choice, then I think Mark and Mr. Kelley probably would let the thing go to an election in November. I felt that wasn't the appropriate course of action."

Rockenstein's change of heart may have averted a public relations disaster. This year, the park district expects to break ground on Village at the Park, a 55-acre sports park with a $13-million price tag. Having only four people on the board, especially when important and sometimes complex issues arise, had the potential- however unlikely- for more standstills in the decision-making process.

When the board whittled the field of eight candidates to three during a regular Jan. 9 meeting, one of Rockenstein's four votes in the very first round went to Magner. In the end, he voted for her again.

During meetings on Jan. 16 and last week, members exchanged civil but sometimes contentious dialogue.

"To everyone individually, there's an obvious choice," Hamm said during the Jan. 16 meeting. "We don't have rules or regulations to fill the space. We have to go on what we believe."

Rockenstein and Hamm favored Lawrence because of her financial background and longtime work with the city. Lawrence was Camarillo's director of finance for more than 16 years, and they felt her experience would be invaluable in light of the Village project.

Malloy and Kelley favored Magner, who has been active in PONY baseball since 1992, because of her commitment and familiarity with the district.

Magner, Malloy, Hamm and Rockenstein must run for reelection in November to remain on the board.

Rockenstein, 65, isn't sure whether he wants to run again. The longest-serving current board member, he grew up in West Los Angeles and has lived in Camarillo for 31 years. He has seen the good and the bad with the park district, he said, adding that he's glad to have been a part of the district's revival under General Manager Dan LaBrado and Park Superintendent Daryl Wagar.

"It's all coming together nicely," Rockenstein said. "It's a business, and it should be run like a business, not something run off the cuff, so to speak."