Anne DeMartini: Beekman is state’s LAFCO commissioner of year
Last week I attended the annual CaLAFCO conference in Sacramento. Local Area Formation Commissions exist in all counties and among their legal mandates is the preservation of farmland and prevention of sprawl. To my great delight, Hughson Mayor Matt Beekman received a standing ovation while receiving the Outstanding Commissioner of the Year award for California.
He was recognized for his integrity and dedication in defending our vital agriculture preservation policy in Stanislaus County. Not only did he receive an unprecedented three nominations for this award by the executive directors of LAFCOs from Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and Butte counties, the CaLAFCO board’s vote was unanimous. CaLAFCO undoubtedly paid close attention to the recent attacks on Mayor Beekman since one of the main topics of discussion at the conference was how, by law, commissioners are to exercise their judgment independent of the entity who nominated them.
The mayors of Patterson, Newman, Oakdale, Waterford and Riverbank recently removed Mayor Beekman from the Stanislaus LAFCO for voting his conscience. It is unfortunate and extremely disappointing that the new city member and his alternate who the mayors picked to replace Beekman choose not to attend the conference. Clearly there is much for them to learn.
Anne DeMartini, Modesto
This story was originally published September 8, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Anne DeMartini: Beekman is state’s LAFCO commissioner of year."