Last week, Idyllwild Water District Director Steve Kunkle announced his resignation from the Board.

His resignation is effective Oct.1. In his letter to Board President Dr. Charles Schelly, Kunkle wrote, “I am resigning for personal reasons and will drop off running in the future election.”

His current term expires Dec. 6. He was seeking re-election and his name will be on the November Ballot. His decision to resign and to withdraw from the current election came too late to remove his name from ballot, the County Registrar of Voters told him.

After the ballots are counted, if he were one of the three with the most votes, Kunkle said he would still decline to accept the new term. “Even if I were [in the top three], I wouldn’t do it,” he stated

In concluding his letter, Kunkle wrote, “I have learned much during my tenure and appreciate the collaborative spirit that defines our Board.

“This decision was not made lightly but after careful consideration, I believe it is time for me to resign for my personal reasons,” he told Schelly.

Kunkle was elected to the Board in August 2015. He was a former IWD employee who chose to offer his experience as manager as the district’s wastewater treatment plant manager to the public by serving on the Board.

“He was a very dedicated Board member and a very dedicated employee,” said Schelly.

“I think he did excellent work. His technical knowledge was very helpful and constructive. He was very conscientious,” said Board colleague and Vice President Peter Szabadi. “He will be a substantial loss. I was very surprised.”

In his first election, Kunkle was the top voter getter out of five incumbents. He was selected on 75% of the ballots cast. He and follow challenger, June Rockwell, retired two incumbent directors.

One of his major issues was the ability of staff to fully serve the district. While he acknowledged the need for two separate taxing districts – water and sewer – he felt the staff size was too small for separate field staffs.

He encouraged more cross training so that the field staff can work on projects wherever needed. In his opinion, the field staff is too specialized and too dependent on contractors for the district’s actual maintenance needs. He believes they are working much more cooperatively now.

When asked about some of the highlights of his tenure, Kunkle immediately mentioned the dismissal of the former Board’s plans for a recycled water plant. More currently, he is glad the District is focusing on replacement of the five decade old waste water treatment plant.

“He is a very frugal director,” Schelly noted, too. “It was an honor to have him on the Board.”

When asked his overall assessment of being a director, Kunkle replied, “I’m glad I did, and I hope I helped out.”