First, the correction.

Pia Sok was appointed as the Manteca Planning Commission alternate by the Manteca City Council last week. It was not Jesus Sillas as reported in the Bulletin on Tuesday.

There were five original applicants and four, not three, forwarded to the council for consideration that had completed the required interviews.

Now, the context as to why the decision mattered.

Council adopted bylaws and ordinances for the commission — in this case a vacancy for the alternate position with a term that runs through the end of this year — do not list requirements for the position other than being a registered voter and a resident of the City of Manteca.

The four individuals that were considered by the council after being interviewed by two community development staff members and Mayor Gary Singh were Jacob Naven, Shim Lacy, Sillas, and Sok.

Lacy, who is as an administrative assistant for the Port of Stockton, has been involved in the community extensively as co-founder and leader of Manteca Youth Focus for over 30 years.

Sillas, a Marine veteran who went on to serve as a correctional officer, is currently on the city’s Public Safety Tax Oversight Committee and the county’s housing appeals board as well as serving on the St. Anthony’s School Education Board.

Sok, is an electric program manager for the City of Santa Clara, and has served on boards and commissions.

Naven, an insurance agent who has served on boards for Doctors Hospital and Give Every Child a Chance, happens to be running for mayor in November.

When appearing before the council last week, Naven stated that he didn’t have the experience for serving on the commission.

It seemed like an odd comment to make, but it was in the context of the first question Naven said he was asked by staff as to whether he had any experience as an engineer. Another applicant confirmed being asked a similar question.

“She (Pok) smoked everybody (who applied),” Naven said on Tuesday in regards to her qualifications.

He added if he were on the council, he likely would have picked Pok if the overwhelming requirement in determining who would serve was familiarity with the general workings of municipal government given she is employed by another city.

“If Pok (or someone with similar experience with city government as an employee) had applied when Gary (Singh) did years ago for the planning commission, she would have smoked him too,” Naven said.

Staff ranked their choices after the interviews.

Involving staff in the interview process is relatively new.

It is done so via a policy in a bid to “get the best possible candidate” to fulfill the duties expected of city commissions.

The goal was to level the playing field, so to speak, between newcomers to Manteca and others that have resided in the city for years.

This is where the politics allegedly came into play.

Postings on social media have accused Singh of playing politics because he went with “someone who had been in the community for a year or so.”’

That is in sharp contrast to criticism leveled at the council in the past that the council routinely skipped over newcomers in favor of long entrenched citizens to fill commission vacancies and/or favored friends.

Singh has had interactions with Lacy and Naven for years, and had appointed Sillas to the public safety tax oversight committee

Singh, on Tuesday, reasserted that he made his decision on who he determined was best qualified based on their interviews and experience.

That said, the council or mayor weigh what qualities and experience they want in a commission member and vote accordingly.

Having staff involved was never meant to negate the weight that involvement, whether it is in civic issues or community activities, carry.

That is the call of elected officials.

Councilwoman Regina Lackey on Tuesday agreed with Naven’s assessment that the council cast its votes for the applicant with the experience most closely aligned with the functions of the commission in its charge to make sure city and state zoning rules and such are followed.

Pok’s answer on her submitted application as to what she believed the role of a planning commission should be, bears that out.

Lackey noted Singh rationalized his decision based on the pre-interviews and partially on staff feedback.

“Politics didn’t enter into it,” Lackey noted.

That said, in the future Lackey noted it might make sense if an applicant that is already challenging the incumbent in an upcoming election who is charged with recommending an appointee for their district or — in the mayor’s case — citywide, that a second council member be involved in the interview process.

Naven, while agreeing Pok was the best choice, cautioned against elected leaders placing too much weight on staff recommendations for commission appointees they will work with so it doesn’t come across as staff handpicking commissions.

There was also “playing politics” charges leveled against Naven given he made the unusual move of applying for a commission after formally challenging the person that would me making the appointment — in this case Singh — in an election that is just over 10 months away.

While there is nothing that stops Naven from applying, it certainly was unprecedented and therefore unusual for him to do so.

It left some believing Naven was trying to put Singh on the spot.

Naven said he simply was pursuing an opportunity to find out more about how city government operates as an up close participant.

Council adopted bylaws and ordinances for the commission — is this case a vacancy for the alternate position with a term that runs through the end of this year — do not list requirements for the position other than being a registered voter and a resident of the City of Manteca.

City Clerk Cassandra Tilton-Candini, who oversees the posting of openings and processing applications for city commissions, in her staff report noted the four met the minimum requirements of being registered voters and residents of the city.

She also noted they had been interviewed and therefore was recommending the council select from the list of four.

Staff interviewing applicants with a council member or the mayor is a departure from how the process was done before Manteca switched to district elections for four council members while keeping the mayor selection a citywide vote.

Prior to having commission appointments also be by district residency, a subcommittee of council members interviewed applicants.

Now it is the council member representing the district that has the commission vacancy as well as staff members that work with the specified commission.

The mayor recommends who should be appointed to the citywide commission seat as well as the alternate. Each council member recommends the representative for the vacancy in the district they represent.

Naven did question one part of the process.

The alternate position that came vacant over the summer took roughly five months to fill.

The four applicants that applied responded to the request for applications in August and September.

Naven said having a complete five-member commission at all meetings assures maximum public representation in planning matters.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com