IWD Idyllwild Water District Board appoints Wendy Harsha to fill vacant seat

The Board of Directors of Idyllwild Water District held a special meeting on Friday, February 7, to consider applications for the open Board seat. The agenda named four candidates that had submitted letters of interest: Derrick Zimmerman, John Stamper, Jonathon Mills, and Wendy Harsha. All were present at the meeting. Board President Schelly explained that no interviews had been conducted prior to the meeting.

Schelly himself had prepared five questions for the candidates, the other directors also asked each a question they had prepared, and had the opportunity to ask follow up questions. Each candidate was given five minutes for a concluding statement.

Schelly’s questions were: What special qualities do you bring to the board? What do you see as the difference between volunteers and elected officers? If you were on the board and there was a division of opinion, and you felt strongly about your point of view, would you try to persuade other directors? Have you ever been in a supervisory position, and if so, what was the most difficult part?

Steve Olson asked each candidate what they thought was the most important quality they would bring to the board. Jessica Priefer asked them to choose the three most important values from a list. Mitch Davis asked how long they intended to serve on the board.

Zimmerman is a teacher who has also managed group homes, Stamper retired after 25 years managing the service department for an automobile dealership, Mills a craftsmen and general contractor, and Harsha a bookkeeper and co-owner of a local business.

The answers the candidates gave were mostly unsurprising. All agreed that the hardest part of supervising is firing someone. All picked safety and ethics from Priefer’s list. All understood that being an elected official (or appointed to serve as one) was a greater responsibility than being a volunteer and obligated them in more serious ways.

After the interviews, nominations were made. Davis nominated Stamper, but there was no second. Olson nominated Harsha, and Preifer seconded. Olson noted Harsha’s volunteerism, and her comments about the importance of listening and understanding the perspectives of others. He added that his own experience in accounting made him partial to the candidate with bookkeeping experience. A vote was held, Olson and Preifer voted yes and Davis voted no. After a moment Schelly added his vote to those of Olson and Preifer, making the total 3-1.

Schelly thanked the candidates and invited them to run the next time there is an election. He said that Harsha would be sworn in at the next regular meeting, on Wednesday, February 19.