City council vacancy will be discussed at Dec. 17 meeting
John Duncan, Coronado’s mayor-elect, is two years through his four-year term as a member of the Coronado City Council, which leaves a vacancy on the council. At the Dec. 17 city council meeting, the new council will be installed in a ceremony, and then will discuss its options for filling the seat. The council could decide to decide by special election or by appointment.
The San Diego County Registrar of voters released certified election results on Dec. 3. John Duncan won the race for mayor with 45% of the vote. Mark Fleming and Amy Steward won the two open council seats, with 22.57% and 19.81% of the votes, respectively. Laura Wilkinson Sinton came in third, losing to Steward by 80 votes. A petition asking that she, as the third-place candidate, be appointed has received 73 signatures at press time.
Renee Cavanaugh and Fitzhugh “Fitz” Lee won seats on the Coronado Unified School District Governing Board.
Coronado is auditing its street lights
Coronado is auditing all of its street lights to identify ones that are not working, City Manager Tina Friend said. Some of the lights are operated by the city, while others are operated by San Diego Gas and Electric or the California Department of Transportation.
In addition the the audit, Friend said the city is researching and testing solar cells that could power individual lights, as well as lights with sensors that would alert the city when a light is not working.
Coronado City Council Member Carrie Downey said she’s taken to bringing lights with her to meetings so that she can safely find her car in the evenings if the route is not adequately lit, echoing a resident who asked that lights be checked and repaired during public comment at the council’s Dec. 3 meeting.
Friend said she hopes to have a lengthier discussion about the city’s lighting policy at a future date.
“I’ve been told this has been a topic of conversation over the years, and there’s been a preference for very low light for dark skies,” Friend said. “Finding that intersection where we have adequate lighting where people feel safe leaving facilities and where we are leaving lights dimmer or at lower Kelvin so that we can enjoy the dark skies, I think will be an interesting discussion.”
CUSD and City will coordinate on e-bike safety program
As Coronado prepares to implement its new e-bike safety regulations, the city will also work to create a collaborative program with the Coronado Unified School District to provide safety and licensure for students wishing to bring e-bikes on campus. The program will be modeled on a similar one already in place with the Poway Unified School District, Coronado City Council Member Casey Tanaka said during a Dec. 3 council meeting.
When the matter of e-bikes first came before the council, members discussed such a program, but worried the district may not wish to undertake such a large program, which would require safety training and regulation. However, Tanaka, said, the district agreed. City Manager Tina Friend added that crafting the program has been a smooth undertaking between CUSD and the Coronado Police Department and that it could be rolled out as early as late January 2025.
Mike Woiwode reappointed as Citizen Representative for Sharp Coronado Hospital Board
Mike Woiwode was appointed as the Citizen Representative to the Board of Directors of the Sharp Coronado Hospital Foundation in Dec. 2021, and was reappointed for a second, three-year term.
“Working in the interface between the hospital and the city has been eye-opening and
gratifying,” Woiwode stated in his letter of interest. “I would welcome the opportunity to continue for another term as the city’s liaison to the Coronado Hospital Foundation and the Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center.”
Stephen Clark reappointed to Civil Service Commission
Commissioner Stephen Clark was appointed to a partial term on the Civil Service Commission in Dec. 2019, and appointed to a full term in Dec. 2020. Clark was reappointed for a for a second, three-year term. There is currently another vacancy on the commission, which was created in Nov. 2024, which the city is seeking to fill.
Sabrina Robles appointed as student representative to the Parks and Recreation Commission
Robles, a junior at Coronado High School, said she hopes to give back to city programming that has been formative for her, and that she hopes to liaise with her peers to support inclusivity and accessibility to parks and recreation programs. Robles will serve a one-year term.
Evan Piritz appointed to serve on Historic Resource Commission
The three-year term will be filled by Piritz, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and licensed real estate broker and general contractor.
