Long-time city employee Kelly Purvis was appointed to the Coronado City Council, filling a vacancy that was created when John Duncan was elected mayor.
The appointment was decided through four rounds of voting during the Jan. 21 council meeting, in which Purvis was the only of nine candidates who received votes from all four sitting council members each round. (Ten originally applied, but Stephen Joseph Phillips withdrew his application.)
Purvis has been heavily involved in Coronado since 1987, and has worked in the City Manager’s office for 11 years. Now that she has been appointed as a council member, she will resign from her position as a senior management analyst for the City of Coronado focusing on arts and culture.
The nine candidates addressed the council ahead of the vote, after which council members asked them questions.
“I firmly believe that, from the group of the nine applicants who spoke today,” Duncan said, “not only do we have the opportunity to appoint a very, very good council member, but we also could probably appoint a full council out of that nine. Thank you so much for being here today and applying.”
Purvis, during her comments, opened by reciting her resume. Then, she paused, looked up from her notes, and grinned.
“You know what? I’m really nervous. And I’ll tell you why: Because this is an important job,” she said, tapping her podium for emphasis and the audience chortled appreciatively behind her. “I think this is the best thing you could do for your community, and it’s taken me 38 years to get here. So if I’m nervous today, it’s because I really believe that the City Council makes a difference in this community.”
She spoke of her tenure working in the city manager’s office – under three separate mangers – and her time working in the schools. She spoke of her volunteer work, and her efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There’s no place like Coronado,” she said. “We do things right here. If I were appointed today, I would be really excited to work for the next 19 or 20 months. It would be a fabulous opportunity.”
After hearing public comment, the council voted in four rounds. During the first, council members could vote for up to six candidates; during the second, four; during the third, two; during the final, each candidate could cast just one vote.
In the final round, which was between Purvis and Whitney Benzian, a former council member, Purvis received all four votes.
A number of people spoke during public comment in support of Purvis’ appointment, citing her years of experience and deep ties to Coronado as qualifications. Even more people spoke in favor of Laura Wilkinson-Sinton, who lost the November election for a council seat by 80 votes.
The election was a tense one, and the tension continued into Tuesday’s meeting. During public comment, many of Wilkinson-Sinton’s supporters said she was unfairly targeted for criticism during her race, leading to her defeat. Others questioned the veracity of her campaign and pointed to past public comments she has made as questionable. Although such narratives are common in elections, a large amount of the public discourse around Coronado’s election last year centered on Wilkinson-Sinton.
Wilkinson-Sinton was eliminated from the running in the first round of voting, in which she received a single vote from City Council Member Carrie Downey. Downey opposed the appointment, and instead favored a special election to fill the vacant seat. She said that Wilkinson-Sinton coming in third place did not justify a de facto appointment.
Still, she said that she would be supporting those who had the most public support during the hearing: Purvis and Wilkinson-Sinton.
“I want somebody connected to the community that has been here long enough that they’ve been hearing from the public and know how to interact with our Republican chair,” Downey said. “Since I’m obviously on the losing end of wanting to let the public vote for the person they want, I’m going to try and give them that, and vote the way the public has told me they want to go.”
With just one vote, Wilkinson-Sinton was eliminated, and after three more rounds of voting, Purvis was appointed.
Council Member Mark Fleming said he hoped to appoint a collaborative candidate.
“I know that we’re not always going to agree on everything that comes before us,” Fleming said. “If we did, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs. But, we need to have a City Council that can work together. And that’s really the primary thought pattern behind the people that I will vote for this evening.”
Council Member Amy Steward echoed Fleming’s thoughts.
“Sometimes we lead, and sometimes we follow,” Steward said. “We want to be supportive of those who are leading, and we want people to follow us when we (lead). We want to be good followers and support everyone to get what’s best for our community.”
After she was appointed, Purvis thanked the council for their faith in her abilities.
“I am a team player,” she said. “I worked hard, I trust the staff.”
She turned from the dais and addressed the other applicants.
“This is tough, and I want to honor you for stepping up,” she said. “I hope you’ll come back.”
Two seats on City Council will be up for election in 2026, including the one to which Purvis was appointed. The abbreviated nature of Purvis’ appointment was, in part, why the council in December opted to fill the vacancy by appointment rather than by special election. Another main reason was the cost of a special election, which is estimated at between $275,000 and $450,000.
With Purvis’ appointment, the City Council – and the 2024 election cycle – is now complete.
The rounds of voting played out as follows:
Round 1; six votes per council member
- Whitney Benzian – three votes (Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
- Andrew Gade – three votes (Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
- David Hock – one vote (Steward)
- Keith James – two votes (Duncan, Fleming)
- Richard Negrete – two votes (Duncan, Steward)
- John Peterson – two votes (Duncan, Fleming)
- Kelly Purvis – four votes (Downey, Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
- Mark Warner – two votes (Fleming, Steward)
- Laura Wilkinson-Sinton – one vote (Downey)
Round 2; four votes per council member
- Whitney Benzian – three votes (Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
- Andrew Gade – one vote (Fleming)
- Keith James – two votes (Duncan, Fleming)
- Richard Negrete – zero votes
- John Peterson – zero votes
- Kelly Purvis – four votes (Downey, Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
- Mark Warner – one vote (Fleming)
Round 3; two votes per council member
- Whitney Benzian – two votes (Duncan, Steward)
- Kelly Purvis – four votes (Downey, Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
- Mark Warner – one vote (Fleming)
Round 4; one vote per council member
- Whitney Benzian – zero votes
- Kelly Purvis – four votes (Downey, Duncan, Fleming, Steward)
As a former Coronado native and aspiring returnee for semi-retirement, I watched the hearing with avid interest. The caliber of candidates and the high level presentation of issues and comments from the audience covered the full terrain. Indeed, the wisdom of common sense began to emerge.
Effectiveness in local governance begins with demonstrated listening skills and an openness to fresh ideas, as well as respecting the process and all of its stakeholders.
The emergent new Councilwoman represents a breath of fresh air in the wake of this turbulent recent election.
I found Mayor Duncan’s two examples of ‘the rest of the story’ to be invaluable, first in explaining the mechanics of the recent election and the special voting process required to fill his seat, as well as the backstory to the current Board of Suoervisors’ decision to hold a special election.
The endless swirl of social media commentary fills the airwaves with noise.
Mayor Duncan’s ability to provide clarity regarding these local democratic processes was very helpful and should become a regular occurrence.