Oakland commission returns Sal Ramos to Seat 3

Twelve Oakland residents spoke at a work session prior to the April 9 Town Commission meeting in hopes of being nominated to serve in the commission’s Seat 3. A 13th candidate, Nancy Furches, withdrew her application.

The seat was vacated by Commissioner Sal Ramos when he ran for mayor in the March 26 municipal election.

The candidates introduced themselves and answered a random question pulled from a bowl. After all had spoken, each commissioner was asked to nominate one of the candidates.

Commissioners Joseph McMullen, Rick Polland and Mike Satterfield all nominated Ramos; Mayor Shane Taylor nominated Yumeko L. Motley.

The other applicants were Trillshun Bacon, Emma Bell, Clayton Louis Ferrara, Anne Fulton, Scott Gordon, Teri Hamlin, Kris Keller, Edward Kulakowski, Adam John Messervey and Todd Tice.

The work session was adjourned at 6:43 p.m., and the regular Town Commission meeting commenced at 7.

Ramos received a 3-1 vote, with Taylor voting against the appointment, and was returned to Seat 3. Mayor Taylor administered the oath of office to Ramos, and he took his seat at the commission table.

Ramos took a moment to address the Town Commission:

“Thank you, Shane, and thank you, commissioners. I will promise to work twice as hard for our town and bring everything that I’ve learned. … Shane, I promise to work with you. The campaign that we ran, I could have won, you could have won. You won. I’m not here to sabotage (anything), because that would hurt the town I love. Anything you need, Shane, I will work alongside you. That’s a promise.”

In the public forum portion of the meeting, several residents spoke against Ramos’ appointment to the commission.

Among them was Kevin Cox.

“I can’t believe this happened tonight … without any word from us,” Cox said. “That three commissioners can vote in a fourth commissioner without us. I think it was clear the town of Oakland was ready for a change.”

Gordon, one of the applicants for the seat, spoke as well.

“I spoke to you guys earlier as an applicant … now I’m speaking to you as a resident,” he said. “I saw the sitting vice mayor and two other commissioners with utter disregard for the residents. … Mayor Taylor didn’t just win; he won by a landslide. It was a clear message. … You three have utter disrespect not only for the town but for the residents.”

Keller, another applicant, said she was trying to stay positive.

“I want to focus on the out-turning of applicants that turned in their names and came forward,” she said. “I hope to maybe be on the Planning & Zoning committee. I hope all who applied to the Town Commission seat will … have the opportunity to serve the town in some capacity. Get on committees, learn how the town works. … Three commissioners are up in two years.”

Satterfield urged residents to continue attending the Town Commission meetings and to look for ways to get involved.

“We’ve always had a hard time of having people step up, so it is refreshing to see that we have this many people all at once who want to help us out,” he said. “There’s a place for everyone on this list.”

Resident Kurt Gies said he’s a 25-year veteran and believes in democracy.

“Look at the legacy of these commissioners,” he said. “When no one came to these meetings, they built a Comp Plan, they started a charter school, they (brought) the West Orange Trail, we built a wastewater plant. Bottom line, everybody wants to live here because of what these folks put in place.”

IN OTHER NEWS

• Oakland Police Chief Darron Esan agreed to have more officer presence on Vick Avenue after a resident complained of speeding drivers. He also announced the police department is in the process of hiring and part-time and two full-time officers.

• The commission voted to keep Commissioner Mike Satterfield as the mayor pro tem. He will run the Town Commission meetings when Mayor Shane Taylor is absent.

• Meredith Rhein was appointed as a regular member to the Appearance Review Board, and Michael Elliott and Jay Russell were appointed to the Planning and Zoning Board as a regular member and an alternate, respectively.

• Town Manager Andy Stewart announced the town is working on creating a citizens academy. The program could be as long as six months, and residents would meet town staff and learn about the operations of the various departments. It likely would start in the next budget year.

• The commission proclaimed Friday, April 26, 2024, Arbor Day in the town, and residents were urged to plant trees.