Cypress is having a moment, as it tries to fill a vacated Council seat.
With the resignation of Council member Scott Minikus more than a month ago, Cypress is still without a temporary replacement this week and has called another meeting for Friday after a stunning turn of events.
The Council met in special session Nov. 19 where it became hopelessly deadlocked on various candidates without the ability to agree on a replacement to fill Minikus’ seat.
The city opted out of a special election to fill the seat, because of perceived costs, they said during the meeting, and instead invited citizens to submit a letter of interest.
Sixteen citizens replied, most of whom would have added new voices to the city’s conversation, yet the Council denied a request by Council member Bonnie Peat to interview all of them and instead selected seven, including two former Council incumbents, a former Cypress School Board member, another who had been twice a candidate for Council, others who were commissioners and one new to the political process.
The prospective candidates included Anne Mallari, Candi Kern, Claudia Nasari, Frances Marquez, Quintin Bentley, and Rachel Strong.
Each of the seven candidates was given time to speak, following a brief round of questioning by the four Council members. At the end of the lengthy process, the political debate began.
Complicating the process was the fact that the city had switched to districts, and although Minikus lived in District 5, the Council allowed citizens “at-large” to compete for the open seat.
Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman, who had sued the city to create by-district elections, sent a letter to the Council threatening legal action if the appointments process violated the terms of their settlement agreement.
Shenkman said an at-large election would violate the settlement but a District only race would be likely cost less than $200k and would be acceptable. Dr. Malini Nagpal, one of the districting plantiffs, said the Council should consider having an election for District 5 to let the residents decide who serves them.
At least one member of the Council made a similar suggestion during the long, unsuccessful debate.
Mayor David Burke nominated Rachel Strong, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Leo Medrano as they suggested the two-time candidate for the Council fill the vacant seat. Strong is a resident of District 5 and the owner of a small business in the city.
Council member Kyle Chang passed on Strong and instead wanted former Council member Frances Marquez, one of three “heavy hitters” from District 5, which included Candi Kern and Strong (Kern is a former member of the Cypress School District Board).
Burke, though not mentioning Marquez by name, suggested it would be unwise for the city to return to “chaos” and should avoid the “drama and ugliness” of former Council meetings.
Nevertheless, Chang said “I’m leaning toward letting the voters decide what happens in District 5 if we can’t come to consensus on Frances.”
Council member Bonnie Peat wanted Anne Mallari, a former Mayor, and when that was unsuccessful, she asked for Kern, who also could not attract three votes.
At the three-hour mark and still deadlocked, Burke, tongue-in-cheek, said he had a “zany” idea. “Maybe we should flip a coin” to determine a winner, he said.
“I don’t want to be remembered as the Council that made a major decision by flipping a coin,” said Chang.
Even then, the four-hour attempt during a special meeting last week to arrive at a consensus almost failed, until they finally agreed on a lesser-known commissioner, Quintin Bentley, and voted 3-1 to appoint him to the seat.
Medrano suggested Bentley as a newcomer who had served the city, Burke seconded it and although not ideal, Chang finally nudged towards Bentley because of his education and “having worked in special education” for over a decade.
Chang said he was impressed with his service on one of the Council Commissions and with his community work in special education so he agreed to support him.
The Council voted 3-1 to appoint Bentley to the open seat, with Peat voting against, and Burke quickly adjourned the marathon session without giving Bentley a chance to speak.
The City’s public relations firm later issued a press release announcing Bentley’s appointment.
“We are grateful to all applicants who stepped forward and took part in this process. The high caliber of the applicant pool, and their willingness to serve speaks to the strength of our community,” said Mayor David Burke. “Quintin has an excellent track record of serving others and we look forward to his contributions to Cypress in this new role,” Burke was quoted in the press release.
But then, as quickly as it happened, it began to unravel.
Burke told ENE that Heather Dillard, the Department Chair for Special Education at Cypress High School, sent an email to Interim City Manager Sean Joyce suggesting the city double check Bentley’s stated special education experience.
That email, at some point, was followed by an email from Bentley himself withdrawing from the process altogether, said Burke.
“He (Bentley) apparently decided the scrutiny of public office was not for him,” said Burke.
The move left the Council in a time crunch, having only until Nov. 30 to fill the seat.
Burke said the City Council chose to move forward with a public appointment process rather than hold a special election, which was estimated by the OC Registrar to cost up to $950,000 (for at large election). City attorney Fred Galante said would likely not happen until the spring of 2026.
“That would only leave seven months on the term then they would presumably have to run again,” he said.
Burke acknowledged that it was unfortunate the city did not get a chance to hear from all of the candidates who applied and he did not rule out that, given the process that unfolded Nov. 19 (at the special meeting), that new names from the list of qualified candidates may emerge.
None of the seven candidates interviewed could achieve a simple three-vote majority, and the one candidate on which the Council compromised, backed out after apparently misstating information about his qualifications.
Does that put nine local residents who expressed interest in the position back in play? “We are free to choose from any eligible applicants,” said Burke.
The city has announced a special meeting will be held this Friday, Nov. 28, at 4 p.m. as the Council tries again to fill the vacant seat.