The Mission Bay Park Committee (MBPC) will welcome nine new members at its Tuesday, July 10, meeting, pending City Council confirmation.
As of March, all 15 members’ terms had expired, with some lapsing a year earlier. Acting MBPC chairperson Bob Ottilie charged that the city’s failure to make appointments to the advisory board was fueling a sharp decline in participation. Committee members were unable to vote on agenda items at the group’s March meeting because they lacked the necessary quorum.
Mayor Jerry Sanders has since appointed nine new members and reappointed six to the committee, including Rick Bussell, who has been named chairman. He will also serve on the Park and Recreation Board.
“The most important thing I can do is make sure the process itself is as open and fair as possible,” said Bussell, who sees his new role as that of a facilitator. “If the process is working, the outcome will be the will of the people.”
As the committee continues to discuss the Fiesta Island redevelopment project and how to keep park lease revenues out of the city’s general fund, Bussell said he believes it is more important than ever that the community have a say in the future of Mission Bay Park.
“It’s their park,” Bussell said. “My goal is to make sure the park is accessible to as many people as possible.”
Bussell, a resident of Bay Park, has been a member of the park committee since 2003.
The two most recent appointments are Jeton Prince and Jarl Turner.
Turner, who will be representing MBPC Council District 6, is the president of Turner Consulting, a firm which specializes in government affairs, community relations, public affairs and legislative advocacy. A 15-year resident of San Diego, Turner has been involved in such organizations as United Way, Rotary International, El Cajon Homeless Shelter, the San Diego State University Alumni Association board of directors and the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. The Mission Valley resident also served for 10 years in the United States Naval Reserve. He will replace Ryan Levinson.
Prince will be replacing Pacific Beach Community Planning Committee (PBCPC) representative Catherine Strohlein, who has resigned. A PBCPC member since 2005, Prince was recently elected chairman of the election subcommittee. The Crown Point resident is the general manager of Seaforth Boat Rentals and is also a member of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Other recent appointees include Bill Bushe, a retired attorney who lives in Ocean Beach; Mike Duckor, co-founder of the law firm Duckor, Spradling, Metzger & Wayne and a resident of Mission Beach; Monica Fuentes, a flight attendant and longtime volunteer who resides in Serra Mesa; Jim Greene, general manager of the Bahia Hotel and member of the Mission Bay Lessees Association; Mort McCarthy, vice president of the Mission Bay Lessees Association and managing director of Burnham Real Estate’s Asset Management Corp.; Billy Paul, a former Marine, active volunteer and Clairemont resident; and Gregg Peterson, a senior clinical project manager and resident of Mission Bay.
In addition to Bussell, the following representatives will be returning: Richard Miller from the Sierra Club; Karl Jaedtke and Judy Swink representing MBPC Council District 2; Don Peterson from Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC); and Pamela Glover of the Mission Beach Planning Board.
Bussell does not know what to expect from the new committee but said that he is “cautiously optimistic.”
He is less concerned with specific outcomes, he iterated, and more focused on a fair and inclusive decision-making process.
“We’ve got to make sure the process is open and that the community is not locked out,” he said.
The MBPC will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 10. The meeting location has yet to be determined.