The Cotati City Council voted 4-0 Wednesday to seek applicants to fill a vacancy on the dais created by the resignation of Pat Gilardi, who is taking a job with new 1st District County Supervisor Susan Gorin.

Cotati City Councilwoman Pat Gilardi has agreed to step down from her elected post and take a job as district director for Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin.

Cotati City Councilman Mark Landman, who became involved in the city’s politics when he helped lead a bitter and successful 2009 campaign to recall Councilman George Barich, was selected to be its mayor Wednesday.

Incoming Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin is managing the long days of her transition to higher office with a checklist that only seems to grow.
The former Santa Rosa city councilwoman, 60, is trying to come up to speed on county issues that include a controversial funding shortfall for road upkeep, stalled proposals for employee pay and pension cuts and looming land-use disputes.
In taking over representation of the county’s 1st District from Supervisor Valerie Brown, she has about five dozen appointments to make to county boards and commissions.

Four contenders are vying for two seats on the Cotati-Rohnert Park School Board in a race that is pitting claims of fresh ideas against pronouncements of seasoned experience in the face of deep budget cuts and declining enrollment. Sonoma County’s third largest school district has cut days from its student calendar, reduced professional development hours, raised and lowered class sizes, slashed teacher pay and closed schools in order to weather the long-running budgetary storm.

A former mayor is taking over the Cotati City Council seat left vacant by the April 9 death of Councilman Robert Coleman-Senghor. The council appointed John Dell’Osso, a National Park Service ranger, to serve the remainder Coleman-Senghor’s term.

The Cotati City Council decided Wednesday to invite applications from residents to fill the seat made vacant by the April 9 death of Robert Coleman-Senghor. It rejected a request by former councilman George Barich to hold a special election.

A bouquet of white flowers sat behind Cotati Councilman Robert Coleman-Senghor’s nameplate on Wednesday night at City Hall, as colleagues, friends and even adversaries paid tribute to his keen intellect, eloquence and gentlemanly manner.

Councilman Mark Landman was the top spender in the November Cotati City Council election, according to campaign finance reports filed this week. See how much money he and the other candidates spent.

Cotati’s City Council on Monday committed millions in redevelopment funds to specific projects, trying to ensure the state can’t get the money if the legislature goes along with Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to eliminate local redevelopment agencies. “If our responsibility is to protect the public good, the public investment, then it’s our job to protect that,” Councilman Mark Landman said.