January 9, 2012 | San Francisco Arts Commission

Full Commission - January 9, 2012

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, January 9, 2012
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:10 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston, President
JD Beltran
John Calloway
Gregory Chew
Lorraine García-Nakata
Dorka Keehn
Sherene Melania
Barbara Sklar
Kimberlee Stryker
Sherri Young
Commissioners Absent
Mark Breitenberg
Leo Chow
Amy Chuang
Jessica Silverman
Cass Calder Smith
Christina Olague, ex officio

Before calling for approval of minutes, President Johnston noted that Christina Olague had just been appointed District Five Supervisor, stepping down from the Planning Commission presidency, and would therefore no longer be the ex officio member of the Arts Commission.

He said that he would take the Director’s Report before the President’s Report.

President Johnston welcomed JD Beltran back to her role as Commissioner, reporting that she had been sworn in again at the end of the preceding week after having served for several months as Interim Director of Cultural Affairs. He said that the Commission appreciated her service, and welcomed her back.
Approval of Minutes
Public Comment:
Ray Hartz, Director of the San Francisco Open Government Advocacy Coalition, asked the Commission to continue the vote on the minutes, and said there were no copies available for the public. He said that the Arts Commission’s website was byzantine, and that he had to go searching, hunting and pecking through it. He said that he did not find out about this meeting until this morning, and that meaningful public comment was denied.
Peter Warfield, President of the Library Users Association, said that the minutes did not reflect his comments with enough specificity. He said that Committee meetings were not recorded and this was difficult. He said that he had made a particular point of saying what had happened, that he had made repeated requests during the meeting for documents, that these were not provided, and that he was told they would be provided at the end of the meeting. He said that he did not get the materials, although he had requested them, until well over a week after the meeting. He said that he appreciated the Chair’s comment on page 10, in the Visual Arts Committee Report, that Commissioner García-Nakata acknowledged that he was at the meeting and she was sorry it took so long for him to receive the documents. He said that the length of time, the specificity of time provided in the meeting should be provided in the minutes to give specificity to his comment.

There was no further public comment on this item. The motion was approved as follows.

RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-001: Motion to approve November 16, 2011 Minutes.
Director’s Report
Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny thanked President Johnston, and said that he was jumping into his new position with both feet on this, his first day, and was thrilled to take on this responsibility. Mr. DeCaigny said that he had come to San Francisco in 1998, and was honored to champion the city’s arts ecosystem of small and large organizations, was committed to transparency, and looked forward to working with all of the Commissioners in the months ahead.
Noting that he was getting up to speed, he presented a report prepared by staff and outgoing Interim Director Ms. Beltran.

The SFAC will continue to attract and grow the jobs of the future as well as invest in neighborhoods via the following new initiatives:

• New legislation proposed by SFAC and jointly sponsored by Mayor Lee and Board President Chiu will establish a Public Art Trust in the downtown commercial corridor. Funded by private property development, the mandated set aside included in the ordinance will generate revenue dedicated to ensuring that local artists and arts organizations are awarded grants to present their work in the downtown venue. The Public Art Trust will also allow for funds to be used for capital improvements to cultural facilities, which will complement ongoing efforts to bring cultural organizations to the Mid-Market area. Mr. DeCaigny explained that the hearing for this amendment extended the required notice by three weeks.

• SFAC is working with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to continue to invest in the Mid-Market neighborhood through both temporary arts activation projects and future longer-term capitol improvement projects. SFAC will seek federal grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources to continue The ARTery Project, a consortium of arts organizations committed to revitalizing the arts in the Mid-Market commercial corridor. Thus far, light installations, temporary sculpture, noontime participatory performances in UN Plaza and the Art in Storefronts program have all helped to generate economic growth by bringing new foot traffic and attention to the area. Additionally, the SFAC is working with the Asian Art Museum to continue to bring temporary sculpture to Civic Center Plaza.

• SFAC’s recently established MOU with the PUC will initially focus on a cultural revitalization of the Bayview neighborhood and will eventually expand to other neighborhoods throughout the City. At the outset, the program will feature established artists working with paid apprentices from the Bayview. The apprenticeship program will equip a new generation of artists with important skills that will enable them to develop their own careers and be competitive candidates for future public art commissions in San Francisco as well as other cities. Furthermore, the MOU agreement will enable the SFAC to expand its WritersCorps program, thus employing more local writers to work with youth.

• Port funding generated through the Recreation and Parks Open Space bond will provide opportunities for a number of new public art projects along the South Central waterfront from Pier 70 to Hunter’s Point. Public art projects are not only of economic benefit to artists, but employ the services of local contractors and fabricators, crane companies, signage shops and engineers.

• The SFAC is in the process of negotiating an agreement with OEWD to manage a $50 million public art program to be implemented on Treasure Island with the proceeds of private development funds. The SFAC will work with the Mayor’s Office and the Treasure Island Development Authority to develop an Arts Master Plan for the placement of the artwork in parks and open spaces.

Commissioner Keehn welcomed Mr. DeCaigny and said she looked forward to working with him. She asked whether the Commission or the agency had a position on the expansion of the benefit district in the zoning legislation. He replied that it would seem to further the aim of expanding the arts throughout the City, as Director of Legislation and Special Initiatives, Jill Manton said, but acknowledged that staff needed time to study the new proposal and discuss the possible impact with additional stakeholders.

Commissioner Young welcomed Mr. DeCaigny, and offered the Commission’s full support in accomplishing the agency’s goals; other Commissioners agreed.

Mr. DeCaigny thanked them, and announced a couple of upcoming events. First, the Gallery will be opening a new show, Vast and Undetectable, on January 20. Second, as part of The ARTery Project, Community Arts and Education has partnered with OEWD, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and the Art Institute of California to host a forum to brainstorm new ways to activate Central Market, to create positive change through arts and culture for residents, visitors, merchants and organizations in the area.

Public Comment:
Mr. Hartz read from the Sunshine Ordinance, Administrative Code Section 67.7, regarding agendas and their posting. He said that the agenda for this meeting had litle or no information, that not everything comes up at the last minute and more should be included. He said that members of the public couldn’t tell whether it was appropriate to make a trip to attend the meeting, and that the agenda needed to be more specific. He said that the Sunshine Ordinance and the Brown Act encourage public participation. He said that he only learned about the Nominating Committee meeting this morning, and that he had not seen the bylaws or rules, had no idea how the Commission nominated officers; and that members of the public should be able to understand how officers were nominated.

Mr. Warfield welcomed the new Director and hoped that his experience would be positive for himself and for San Francisco. He said that the job Mr. DeCaigny was stepping into had quite a bit to take up. He said that a few of these things are the very serious audit recently prepared and presented, which essentially spoke of very serious difficulties with the Arts Commission’s operation. He said that the Library Users Association brought two complaints to the Sunshine Task Force in December, and won unanimously nine to zero on both. He said that these are just some violations they observed. He said that some continue on an ongoing basis, and that this body needs remedial training in not just the letter but the spirit of Sunshine regarding access. He said that the audit was very focused on particular issues, and that a range of issues were not included. He said that they couldn’t cover all of them. He said that the Library Users were concerned about the irrevocable destruction of a very important mural on the Bernal Heights Library. He said that when he asked about the procedure, he was given a procedure that said a whole list of documents were required. He said that when he requested those documents, not a single one was filed. He said that he received the first document in mid-December.
President’s Report
President Johnston welcomed Mr. DeCaigny, noting that he is the fourth Director of Cultural Affairs with whom President Johnston has served. He said that he has sat on two executive search committees, and interacted with a number of great arts professionals in the process. Without reservation, he declared Mr. DeCaigny one of the most enthusiastic and effective arts professionals he has encountered. Citing his work on Proposition H and the Arts Education Master Plan, President Johnston said that the Commission was really pleased to welcome him, and the staff was really excited to have him.
Saying the cat was out of the bag, President Johnston acknowledged his family, who had entered the meeting room. He announced that he had informed the Mayor that he intended to resign from the Commission. He joked that like Brett Favre, Fidel Castro and Chris Daly, he feared staying too long. He said that he felt it was important not to leave the agency in disarray. He noted that there were always strong feelings; people in the arts can be intense and strongly committed, and government is imperfect. He said that citizen commissioners represent the city, hopefully bringing insight and broad oversight to City government and the layers of administration. He said that his appointment as a volunteer Arts Commissioner was a great honor, and came with immense commitment and sacrifice, and took an enormouse amount of time. He said that he would ask the Commission to elect a new President and Vide President, and he knew that the Commission had great candidates.

Recognizing important people in the room, with other meetings to get to, he wanted to be brief in his remarks. Calling himself very fortunate, he thanked staff, who have been his inspiration for continuing, and the great Commissioners with whom he has served. He said that there have been great ups and downs over the years, and noted the recent loss of Dugald Stermer and John Buchanan, but did not want to dwell on the losses. He was proud of the renaissance of the Cultural Centers, and one of his early priorities was trying to breathe life back into them. He was pleased to say that all are now in good shape, a couple in great shape, one having been brought back from the brink. He called the Community Arts and Education programs a model for the nation, and was proud to have been part of protecting these programs during turbulent times. He noted that not long ago the agency celebrated the fortieth anniversary of Neighborhood Arts, with a yearlong celebration of the intersection of arts, community and politics.

President Johnston said that for years the Visual Arts Committee relied on the expertise of Jill Manton, and he was excited to put himself onto that Committee. He cited the San Francisco Airport’s Terminal 2 as a great example that shows in one place the work the Commission does with art in the public sphere that speaks to people and shows the greatness of San Francisco. Likewise, the work at San Francisco General Hospital and so many other projects demonstrate that this is a city that values the arts. Referring to Mr. DeCaigny’s mention of the Planning Code Section 429 revision, he said that staff and Commissioners have been working on this for six years or more, through changes in the Mayor’s office and the Board of Supervisors, and he was so pleased to see it now so close to enactment. He said this was an expansion of a program that is a national model.

Turning to the Street Artists Program, President Johnston noted that he had chaired that Committee, and that the late former Commissioner Stermer was a champion of the program. He strongly supported the program, and said that the Committee has stood up for defending Street Artist spaces in some of the most sought-after locations in the city, for local artists producing their own original work. As to the Civic Design Review Committee, he joked that he couldn’t claim a lot to be proud of there except having kept his hands off. His goal there, he said, was to put great people on the Committee and let them do their work, and that’s what he has done.

President Johnston said that it has been a tough eight years, and the biggest challenge has been steeper and steeper budget cuts. He said that the Commission managed to stave off the most sever cuts to the Cultlural Centers and grants programs because former Mayor Gavin Newsom was such a strong arts advocate. He said that it is hard to make the case for maintaining funding for the arts at a time when the City is cutting shelter beds, but he was among those willing to do his best to convince the Mayor that these expenditures were worthwhile.

He said that he came to the Commission with experience in government and politics, not as a practicing artist, but as one of the four at-large appointments. Quoting Thomas Wolfe, he said “Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” President Johnston said that his goal had been to promote and expand the arts to and for the entire community. He thought the aim of the Arts Commission was to make art for the city, and to make a city for the arts, a great cultural destination in the world. He was very proud to have done this work.

Steve Kawa, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, noting that this was the first full day of the new Ed Lee administration, expressed the Mayor’s thanks to President Johnston for his continued service to the city. On this day of new beginnings, he wanted to also acknowledge the past sixteen years of President Johnston’s work for the city. He said that he knew President Johnston well, and whether they were going to the movies or spending time with their families, he would often bring up the subject of the arts, and the Commission. Mr. Kawa said that President Johnston was passionate about the arts, and that because of him the mayors have done what they needed to do for the arts in the city. Contradicting President Johnston’s self-deprecating comment about his “boring” background in government, Mr. Kawa asserted that he was not boring at all, and recalled that Mayor Lee said that if getting it done is boring, then boring is okay. He said that he knew President Johnston would continue to serve the public.

Observing that one of the pleasures of his job as Chief of Staff was the presentation of Mayoral proclamations, he read the text of the Mayor’s proclamation of January 9, 2012, as PJ Johnston Day in San Francisco.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd thanked President Johnston for his service, and said that the Mayor’s proclamation said it all most eloquently. Supervisor Elsbernd said that, knowing the respect in which President Johnston held the legislative branch, he was very pleased to present a certificate of recognition signed by every one of the Supervisors.

Public Relations Manager Kate Patterson presented a gift from the staff: a framed photograph from the Gallery’s 2010 Night/Light show by Stephen Thomson, Raccoons at the Legion of Honor, showing a dozen raccoons approaching a number 18 Muni bus stopped at the end of the line. President Johnston noted that the Gallery hosts all kinds of incredible shows, and this photograph was used for the postcard announcing the show. In light of the years he has worked with the Gallery and the earlier time that he worked with Muni, he said it was a perfect gift, and thanked the staff.

Commissioner Young said that President Johnston was a tough act to follow, that he showed so much dedication and responded to every e-mail and phone call. She said he made each person he interacted with feel special, and said how much it meant to her that he had come to her mother’s funeral, and how pleased she was to know his family. She said she understood that he felt it was time to go, but that he couldn’t really be replaced.

Commissioner Chew said that he had served on three commissions, and that it was phenomenal to serve with President Johnston. He said that the Commission would miss him, and that he truly believed in the arts.

Commissioner Sklar said that she had served under three or four different Commission Presidents, and that she has been President. She said that the office called for someone who could lead a group of leaders, and that President Johnston was truly a leader. She was really saddened to see him go, but thought he deserved a break.

Commissioner Beltran said she would really miss him. She said that this was the first commission on which she had served, and that it has been an incredible experience. She said that she has learned so much about what one person can accomplish, and praised the legacy President Johnston was leaving.

Commissioner Melania said that this was a very bittersweet moment, and that President Johnston was a superhero who gave 110% or even 160%. She said that he has worked morning, noon and night, and always been here. She said that his patience was astounding. She said that although he doesn’t consider himself a practicing artist, there’s definitely an art to the way he has led the Commission, and he was a master.

Commissioner García-Nakata said she was honored to work with him, and that he had been a solid rudder navigating difficult waters. She praised his leadership, his ability to negotiate City Hall, and his skill in communication. She said that he is not reactive and knows when to take his time, but he acts quickly when needed. She praised his willingness to seek consensus, as well as to make a quick decision when needed. She said that this was not just a skill he had learned, but a part of his personality. She acknowledged that there was never really a time when everything was going smoothly, and added that in discussing who would be the next Commission President, it was important that there be a great marriage with the new Director of Cultural Affairs. Again, she thanked President Johnston.

Commissioner Keehn was grateful for the opportunity to work with him and to observe him, from a distance on other commissions, and up close and personal on the Arts Commission. She praised his great leadership and called him a wonderful orator, and thanked him for all his work.

Commissioner Calloway said that he remembered reading about President Johnston from his time in the Brown administration. He said that he has in some ways felt like an outsider, but that President Johnston has always respected and valued his comments even when they disagreed. Commissioner Calloway appreciated President Johnston’s concern for the southern part of the city, for his community, and was proud to have served with him.

Commissioner Stryker said that as one of the newest Commissioners, she has been in awe of President Johnston many times, and constantly inspired. She said that a fine leader makes it easier for all of them to do what they do. She thanked him for setting such a good example for Commissioners.

Public Comment:
Mr. Warfield said that for most of the time he has been active regarding the San Francisco Public Library, and he was awar of President Johnston’s name as somebody one would do well to be aware of, working in public service in one capacity or another. He said that it was a bit of a surprise to come to the Arts Commission and there he was. Mr. Warfield said that certainly his hard work and dedication to serve could be appreciated by the citizens of San Francisco. He said that he appreciated it, even though he hasn’t always agreed with President Johnston. He said that his respect and decency were laudable and good, and wished him well in his undertakings.

President Johnston acknowledged that his announcement came without a lot of notice, and that honestly, he has learned that there is never a perfect time, and it’s never easy. He wanted to leave on a moment of undiluted optimism. He said that now Mr. DeCaigny is onboard, following a year with many difficult moments. He said that he had thought of leaving many times, but couldn’t in good conscience leave the Commission in disarray. He said that he was not leaving the arts or City government, and said that he was joining the Board of Directors of the African American Arts and Culture Complex, and would do other work. He thanked his colleagues, including former Commissioner Jeannene Przyblyski taught him what he should be doing. He said that former Arts Commission President Stanlee Gatti talked him into the Arts Commission, and encouraged him to pursue the presidency. He thanked former Deputy Director and Interim Director Nancy Gonchar, whom he adores personally and respects professionally. He thanked Ms. Manton for guidance that he desperately needed; he said that no one works the halls of City Hall like her. He thanked Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, and said people don’t realize how hard it is to keep public meetings going. He said that civil servants do the City’s work year in and year out, and recalled his own service back in the mid-1990s, when the City didn’t have e-mail. He said that staff who have served during this technological transition time are making records more and more physically available, and someone has to make it happen. President Johnston thanked Development Director Rachelle Axel, out on medical leave, Community Arts and Education Program Manager Robynn Takayama, and his first mentor on the staff, Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff.
Consent Calendar
Public Comment:
Mr. Hartz said that before he comes to meetings, he does research, and it is not appropriate to waste time. He said that he looked at the Consent Calendar, which is sometimes very extensive. He said that one had nineteen items. He said that he looked at minutes of the meetings. On this agenda, he said the consent items were not on the website. He said that when he came to the meeting, there was no basis to say how or why the items were decided. He said that minutes or draft minutes have to be up within a certain time. He said that he has already been through Sunshine. He said that the purpose was so that members of the public could look at them and talk meaningfully. He said that the Consent Calendar limits members of the public from having any perspective on what happens in the Committees. He said that the Sunshine Ordinance and Brown Act say that decisions must be made in view of the public. He said that if all these items are on the Consent Calendar, materials should be put on the website, and the Arts Commission already has a website. He said that the reason for agendas and so on is so that members of the public can meaningfully participate, and are not denied the opportunity to meaningfully comment. He added that every Commissioner takes an oath to defend the Constitution.
There was no further public comment.

The Consent Calendar was approved as follows.

RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-002:
Approval: RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby adopt the following items on the Consent Calendar and their related Resolutions:

Approval of Committee Minutes
1. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-003: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of November 8, 2011.
2. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-004: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of November 21, 2011.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-005: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of November 30, 2011.
  Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (November 8, 2011)
4. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-006: Motion to approve $25,000 from Account No. 28POP501 to be allocated to the Community Arts and Education program to continue to support and sustain The ARTery Project along the Central Market corridor.
5. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-007: Motion to approve the following individuals as grants application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
  Jerome Reyes, Conceptual artist, researcher, and educator
  Jenny Bilfield, Artistic & Executive Director, Stanford Lively Arts
  Beth Rubenstein, Executive Director, Out of Site Center for Arts Education
  Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (November 21, 2011)
6. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-008: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Lafayette Park Renovation and Maintenance Facility contingent upon presenting alternative colors for the maintenance shed, increasing the number of tall plants, and reshaping the drive to reduce views to the facility.
  Street Artists Committee Recommendations (November 30, 2011)
7. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-009: Motion to approve recommendation by Lottery Committee to amend the Noon I Lottery for previously assigned spaces whereby any held number from a previous lottery would not be valid for use in the Noon I Lottery.
Committee Reports and Committee Matters
1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
  1. President Johnston reported that there was no meeting of the Executive Committee.
2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
  1. In the absence of Commissioner Smith, there was no report. Commissioner Keehn presented the following motion for Phase 3 approval. She explained that the community had been very involved in the review process, and requested that the design incorporate more Mission-style elements. President Johnston added that the Committee had previously reviewed the project, approving it in Phases 1 and 2.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-010: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the University Mound Hydroelectric Facility.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Sherri Young, Chair
  1. Commissioner Young referred to her report at the December meeting of this Commission, and explained that the Committee’s last meeting was an opportunity to meet and discuss the Grantmakers in the Arts (“GIA”) Conference, and other events, including topics from these conferences such as public interest design, where people learn and build together, and “Shift Happens,” on changing demographics and cultural dynamics. She reported that Cultural Equity Grants Program Associate Beatrice Thomas and the San Francisco Foundation’s Kevin Seaman presented a panel on queering the arts at GIA, bringing a national focus to San Francisco and LGBT issues.
    Ms. Takayama was pleased to announce that the John Cage show, Get Lucky: The Culture of Chance, at SOMArts Cultural Center was just reviewed by Kenneth Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle.
    
    Commissioner Melania presented the following motion. President Johnston explained that one of the Controller’s audit recommendations was to have Commissioners participate in review panels, and this is why Commissioner Young’s name was included in the list. She recused herself from the vote. The motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Young abstaining.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-011: Motion to approve the following individuals as grants application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
    Suzanne Tan, Executive Director, Berkeley Art Center
    Maysoun Wazwaz, Program Manager, Mills College Art Museum
    Sherri Young, Executive Director, African American Shakespeare Company
4. Street Artists Committee—Gregory Chew, Chair
  1. Commissioner Chew reported that the Committee had met in November, and that the artists did pretty well during the holiday shopping season, which usually makes up 35% of their yearly income.
    He presented the following motions, explaining that the artists are former certificate-holders who make feather sculpture, jewelry and other wonderful objects.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-012: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Pieter Mueller, Ravit Maman, Danny Yin, Ron Vanini, Clayton Perry, Javier Diaz, Gloria Cardenas, Barbara Ramos, Hugo Espinoza, Jenifer Martinez, Stan Chiao, Tonia Hafter, Jimothy Hoang.
    Commissioner Chew explained that the following motion was on the December agenda, but was not taken up then. President Johnston added that because there was not enough time at the previous meeting to consider this item, when the room had to be vacated, the City Attorney’s office advised that Ms. Shuey should be allowed to continue to operate through the holidays until the matter could be taken up again.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-013: Motion to ratify approval of certificate issued to Alethea Shuey on December 9, 2011.
    Deputy Director Rebekah Krell reminded the Commission of the Controller’s audit report issued in July, and she read the finding regarding management and supervision charges charged to the program. She noted that the Controller’s criticism was not that the agency could not charge these fees, but that there was not a proper procedure. The motion at hand, she said, was whether to return this amount to the Street Artists Fund.
    
    President Johnston said that it was important to look at the Controller’s findings in a straightforward and dispassionate manner. He said that although there was so much passion about some of the findings, in most cases the findings had nothing to do with any malfeasance. With so much going on, he said, it was important to constantly review and audit the agency’s processes, and when problems are found, to fix them. He added that the Controller did not find that the agency lacked authority to charge the fee. Ms. Krell explained that staff worked admirably, documenting and not just estimating their time, but actually counting hours. President Johnston explained that staff was working to fix the appropriate procedures.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata asked whether the assessment was overstated, and Ms. Krell explained that the Controller had not criticized the amount but the process. She explained that the Director spent some amount of time on the program, and that the amount included fixed costs like rent. Commissioner García-Nakata was reassured that there was now a proper process in place.
  4. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-014: Motion to approve request that $18,875.18 charged to the Street Artists Program by the Arts Commission’s Administrative Fund for administrative management/supervision expense for fiscal year 2009-10 be reallocated to Street Artist Special Fund.
5. Visual Arts Committee—Lorraine García-Nakata, Chair
  1. Commissioner García-Nakata explained that there was a modification of one of the items, the addition of Renny Pritikin’s name to the list of panelists. She explained that she was in New York and had to miss the last meeting of the Committee, so she asked President Johnston to speak.
    President Johnston apologized and explained that he had a family emergency just as the meeting was to begin, and so there was no quorum for the meeting. He hates to see that happen, as a waste of the public’s time and Commissioners’ time, but sometimes emergencies happen. He explained that the following items would almost certainly have been routine matters on the Consent Calendar had the Committee meeting been able to go forward.
    
    Turning to the first item, Daggett Park, he explained that the public art process starts when an art opportunity arises, then a general concept is developed and the artwork moves through several phases. Commissioner Keehn asked if this project was dicsussed in December, and Public Art Program Director Susan Pontious explained that the Commissioners were told the the project was coming up. Commissioner Keehn noted that it was a significant amount of money.
    
    Ms. Pontious invited a Commissioner to sit on the panel. President Johnston said that the process is pretty much the same for all projects, and that the Committee chair generally asks one Commissioner to sit on the selection panel. Ms. Pontious explained that the selection panel had not met yet, and that it was scheduled for later in January. She explained that the motion at hand asked the Commission to give its approval for the project outline and give staff authority to begin. She assured the Commission that they will have other opportunities to review the project. President Johnston added that this is only the beginning of the project, and that the group had not yet been set.
    
    Public Comment:
    Mr. Warfield said he was disappointed that agenda item 5.1 did not have public comment. He said that the Chair put it politely by saying that “we lost our quorum.” He said that there never was a quorum, and he was there. He said that discussion went on, supposedly because a meeting that does not result in a decision is not required to have a quorum. He said that there were reasons for having a quorum, reasons for doing public business. He said that the discussion went on quite at length, and he disagreed with the rationale that discussion items can be discussed without a quorum.
    
    He said that item 2 and some of the following items were discussed, that it followed the form of a meeting, with people presenting, and his recollection was that it ended after an hour and a half or two hours. He said that this was a de facto meeting of the Visual Arts Committee, that the Commissioners discussed motions. He said that at this meeting of the full Commission, the Commission was acting as though that meeting of the Committee happened.
    
    Mr. Hartz said that there was no meeting, that it was cancelled. He said that the special meeting set for December 14 was cancelled due to lack of quorum. He reiterated that all the items were discussed in an illegal meeting, and the Commission was treating them as if they had been approved. He said there were two things involved: process and content. He said that the Commission would seldom hear him discuss content, that it was the Commission’s bailiwick. He said there are minutes, and asked how you could have minutes of a meeting that was not held. He said all the items were on this agenda at a meeting with no quorum, held illegally. He said that he had gone before the Sunshine Task Force and won cases. He said that if you have a meeting with no quorum, you may take general public comment, then adjourn. He said you cannot run the meeting and take minutes. He said that it was a violation of the Sunshine Ordinance and the Brown Act. He said that also of the discussion held there was not repeated here for members of the public.
    
    An anonymous citizen said that the basis of the rules in the Brown Act and Sunshine Ordinance is oftern forgotten. He said that the Commission had forgotten the underlying rationalization. He said that the public is entitled to the Commission’s representation in consultation with fellow Commissioners, and it should not be delegated to just a few. He said that it was important to give public representation.
    
    There was no more public comment.
    
    President Johnston called for a roll call vote. All of the Commissioners present voted aye, and the motion was approved unanimously.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-015: Motion to approve the proposed public art approach for Daggett Park, as detailed in the Daggett Park Public Art Project Outline.
    Turning to the next item, President Johnston explained that the Commission routinely approves panelists for Cultural Equity Grants and various other things. He said that they are always qualified professionals, and that this is routine, and often there is no pending project associated with these names. In this case, he said, the request is to approve panelists for Daggett Park. As is often the case, he said, much of the Commission’s work is accomplished at the level of subcommittee meetings, with lengthier presentations by the artists themselves, where Commissioners have the most interest and expertise. He added that the President can choose to calendar an item that was already approved by the Committee for the Consent Calendar. He said that the Arts Commission was certainly not the only commission to use a consent calendar. He explained that the President can sever an item, or choose not to place it on the Consent Calendar, but cannot place on the Consent Calendar an item not previously voted on. In his eight years on the Commission, he said, and sixteen years with the City, it has long been clear that items normally discussed in committee can quite legally be discussed by the Commission as a whole.
    
    He said it was foolish to hold up approval of panelists, because the Commission needs them, and he asked for approval of panelists, with the addition of Renny Pritikin.
    
    Public Comment:
    Mr. Hartz said that, despite the Chair’s attempt to minimize and marginalize, this was a list of people being chosen on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco. He wanted to know who they were, how they were selected, and whether these people could do this work in the best interests of the people. He said that it denies members of the public the opportunity, and it makes it seem like there is no need for public participation, that the Commission thinks the public is ignorant and should count on the Commission and not raise objections. He said that they had discussion in a non-meeting of the Visual Arts Committee, and didn’t give the opportunity to participate and comment. He said of the argument “everybody does it,” a mother will say to her child, “if everybody jumps off a bridge, will you do it, too?” He said that he has been looking at the Arts Commission’s website and that it is byzantine. He said that he has looked for agendas and minutes, that they are sometimes not there, and it is an almost impossible task to see how the body is doing what it is doing. He said that citizens have the right to have business conducted in full view of the public.
    
    Mr. Warfield said that the Chair may have presented an argument about the legality of taking up a matter taken up in another body about subcommittees. He said that this was persuasive about the legality, but for the people on the list, they should not be vetted based on process. He said he couldn’t find anything about what qualifies them, why the Commission has confidence about them. He said that there was nothing that supports the Commission’s decision here, there was no presentation, no discussion about any of them. He said this was very disappointing. As the previous speaker said, he said, it doesn’t speak well for the Commission’s due diligence on these folks. He said that he had no particular knowledge about the people in this group, but that there was nothing in the packet regarding their approval. He said that the Commission ought to have more information about people on this list.
    
    There was no further public comment. President Johnston called for a vote on the motion. Commissioner García-Nakata wanted to clarify references to “Chair” and “President.” She said that President Johnston is president, and that she was Chair of the Committee. He added that the Chair of the Committee had an excused absence.
    
    The motion was unanimously approved as follows.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-016: Motion to approve the following arts professionals as potential panelists for Daggett Park:
    Lex Leifheit, Executive Director, SOMArts
    Justin Hoover, Curator and Gallery Director, SOMArts
    Ned Kahn, artist
    Susan Narduli, artist and architect, Narduli Studio
    Michael Arcega, artist
    Matthew Passmore, artist
    Andrea Cochran, landscape architect
    Judy Moran, former Project Manager, San Francisco Arts Commission
    Kevin Chen, Program Director, Intersection for the Arts
    Maysoun Wazwaz, Program Manager, Mills College Art Museum
    Mark Johnson, Director, San Francisco State University Fine Arts Gallery
    Renny Pritikin, California College of the Arts
    President Johnston explained that the next motion concerned an ongoing project. Commissioner Beltran explained that the budget for the total project was $1 million, and that the full Commission had already approved the project. The current motion requested authorization for an additional portion of the total funds to move forward with the fabrication of a bell for the project, which requires two years to complete. She explained that to maintain the schedule, fabrication of the bell must begin in February.
    
    President Johnston added that this was an ongoing multi-phase project.
    
    Public Comment:
    Mr. Hartz said that the Commission may fee it is efficient for them to have an understanding, but the purpose is for the public to have an understanding. He said that the Commission feels that because they understand, they have no obligation to the public. He said it was wrong and the Commission knew it was wrong. He said that the Commission is saying “we’re the high mucky-mucks, if someone has a problem, too bad.” He said that if it is set up so that people don’t know when the meeting is, there is no point in having meetings.
    
    Mr. Warfield said he was very disappointed, that there was no supporting item listed or in the packet. He said that the Commission may be familiar with the project, but there was nothing visible to or available to the public from this document. He said that he did appreciate the explanation for the increase to $180,000, which is not small potatoes. He said that the Commission was not doing justice to the public or to the Commission to present this with so little evidence.
    
    There was no further public comment.
  4. RESOLUTION NO. 0109-12-017: Motion to increase Paul Kos’s contract for an artwork for the Community Plaza at the new Public Safety Building from $41,000 by $224,000 for a total amount of $265,000 for design development and construction documents.
  5. President Johnston continued item 5 and referred it back to the Visual Arts Committee.
Nomination and Election of Arts Commission Officers
President Johnston took this item out of order. He apologized to the Commission for springing this on them quickly, but not noted that it was not actually so quick. He reiterated the positive note that the Commission had a reached a really good result in its search for a new Director of Cultural Affairs. He said that the last six months have been challenging, with one thing after another. He said that the Arts Commission has had to act quickly, that this is a working agency and working Commission. He said that he knows that no one person is critical to the agency. He appreciated the comments made, but didn’t want to wait because he didn’t want to overstay his time. He said that with Mr. DeCaigny in place as the new Director, the Commission was in the right place for this transition.
He said that there have been a few vice presidents, but only one president over the last seven years. He said that decision had to take into account who had the time and the interest, and that he was very honored to be returned to this position. He said that it was a great responsibility that he took very seriously, and that it was time to hand off the reins. He reported that the Nominating Committee met earlier in the day. He said that the election was called for January because at the normal time, last fall, the Commission was taken up with the search, with the potential change in the Mayor’s office, and with the Controller’s report, and it was frankly impossible to hold an election at that time.

He said that it is hard to give notice about intentions when you are still figuring them out. Then, he said, you must still go through all the proper procedures. He said that he needed to speak with his appointing authority, the Mayor, who has had very kind words, and President Johnston appreciated his support over the year. He said that a mayor is not usually pleased when a small agency gives him big headlines, especially in an election year. President Johnston is very grateful to Mayor Lee.

President Johnston said that a few things have emerged; the Nominating Committee discussed various Commissioners and nominated Commissioners Beltran and Melania. His recommendation played a large part in the Committee’s decision. For both of these Commissioners, he said, they are able to make the time commitment, and have the willingness to spend the time above and beyond what other Commissioners are asked.

President Johnston said that he would make this motion and call for discussion and public comment.

He said he wanted to frame the discussion with this: six months ago, the Arts Commission faced a true crisis. Despite some imperfect outcomes, he said, the Commission got to the right place. He said that the current moment is no gigantic crisis, but just a little rushed. He believed the Commission needs to reflect continuity and optimism about the change the Commission took, and to be focused on the future, not the past. He said that the fact is that the previous Director left quickly, under a cloud. He said that it was important to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors, as well as to the Commission, and to the staff who have varying and diverse feelings, that all have collectively embraced a sea change at the agency since having moved on, with the appointment of Mr. DeCaigny. He reiterated his optimism for the future.

President Johnston said that the new officers would serve until elections in November, essentially a nine-month term. He said that he was grateful to Commissioner Beltran, who had stepped into the breach. He said that gratitude and relief had been expressed both at 25 Van Ness and at 1 Dr. Goodlett, and he felt a certain responsibility for getting the Commission into that mess. He said that he now feels very strongly the need to turn attention to the new Director of Cultural Affairs, to welcome Commissioner Beltran back to the Commission, to have a certain continuity and know that the incoming President has the ear of the Mayor and the Board that, frankly, he takes off this Commission with him. He said that because of Commissioner Beltran’s role as Interim Director, she has been the voice of the Commission, and that the distance from Market and Van Ness to Grove and Van Ness is light years. Because Mr. DeCaigny is coming in from outside government, President Johnston said, he will need support.

Commissioner Sklar said that the Committee considered other candidates, and felt that the Commission did need to have someone “up close and personal.” She said that Commissioner Beltran did such a marvelous job as Interim Director, and that the agency needed continuity. She felt badly about the rush, and somewhat confused. She said that President Johnston’s departure felt almost like an announcement by e-mail that you’re being divorced.

Commissioner Keehn clarified that this was a nomination, and that all Commissioners were free to nominate someone.

Commissioner Sklar left the meeting at 5:15 p.m.

President Johnston concurred that if Commissioners wished, they could move to add alternative names.

Public Comment:
Mr. Hartz said that he had attended the Nominating Committee meeting, which he said was all done out of the view of the public. He said there was no information about why these people were selected. In most elections, he said, people give a statement of why they want the office, and what they want to do. He said the only discussion was to poll everyone. He asked whether this was anything other than a meeting to decide who will be the next officers. He said that to say the Commissioners have a choice now is no choice. He said that with one candidate on the ballot, you can write someone in. He said that he was in the Navy, in the nuclear field, and has been under the Golden Gate Bridge twenty times on a nuclear submarine. He said that the problems of the previous Director are at the Commission’s doorstep, and the simple fact they don’t want to discuss it seems egregious. He asked of the new officers what they intend to do. He said that this was disgraceful.

He said that he does this for one reason. He said that most people don’t understand Sunshine. He does it because he can. He said that there are so many problems, and the Commission will be seeing him frequently.

Street Artist Mike Addario said that many problems of this Commission are self-inflicted. He said that the Commission gets $10 million to redistribute, how hard can that be? He said that there are lots of secret meetings. He said that he has documents, he has records. He said that Mr. Cancel was supposed to be the Commission’s czar, and the first thing he did was to send a budget. Mr. Addario said that the Commission rubber-stamped it, and the street artists complained.

Mr. Addario said that Venice Beach doesn’t charge anything to street artists. He suggested to the new Chair to videotape the Committee meetings. He said he told Mr. Cancel this four years ago. He said that this meeting should be on public television. He disagreed that the Commissioners are leaders. He said they are representatives of the public. He said the Commission should get a time-clock for members of the staff, and pull all of their disciplinary records. He said these are things they should know. Finally, he thanked Ms. Beltran for the Controller’s audit.

Mr. Warfield said that he certainly would be working with whoever the Commission elects. He said that previous speakers made good points. He said that first, the damaged agency this was in the summer, President Johnston said he was part of the problem. He said that Commissioners also bear some responsibility to the extent that they were here for the hiring of the previous Director. He said there was a lack of sunshine, and a failure to follow the Commission’s own procedures. He said this does not speak for continuity, but for something quite new. He said the Commission has a new Director of Cultural Affairs, and asked if the Commission sought someone like the previous Director. He didn’t think so. Likewise, he siad the Commission should consider a fresh face for President and Vice President, especially when he plans to work with whoever is elected. He said that calling for the audit was a good thing. To the extent things went off the rails, he said, continuity is not good. He said he regrets the lack of more Commissioners, particularly Commissioner Sklar, and thought the Commission should consider someone different.

There was no more public comment.

Commissioner Young said she was uncomfortable with such short notice, and felt the Commission had rubber-stamped a lot of things with Mr. Cancel. She said she knew President Johnston had to go, and she respected Commissioner Beltran. She said she know there was word from another source of what they would like to happen, which she heard over Friday.

President Johnston said some commissions have nominating committees, others take nominations at the full commission meeting. He said this was not that different from the Police Commission.

Commissioner Keehn suggested nominating one month and voting the next month.

Commissioner Calloway agreed that this felt a little rushed, and said that he had great respect for his colleagues.

President Johnston noted that Commissioner Beltran was Vice President when she left the Commission to take the Interim Director position, and he would have to confer with the City Attorney’s office as to who would preside if the Commission did not take action today.

Commissioner Stryker said one issue was that she wished the Commission had more time before the agenda was sent, and and felt the same about this issue. She said this was separate from the candidates, who she said were talented. She was somewhat uncomfortable about the process, and felt somewhat rushed.

President Johnston said he appreciated the concerns, and that there are only thirty days in the month. He said that government is a steamroller, and the Commission’s responsibility is to jump in front of the steamroller. He pointed out that the Planning Commission and the Public Utilities Commission meet weekly or biweekly, and get huge packets. Commissioners can’t always take as much time as they’d like.

Commissioner Chew said he supported these nominees, and that they were fine candidates.

President Johnston said it was kind of tough for the nominees to speak on their own behalf.

Commissioner García-Nakata said it was an awkward situation, and President Johnston said it was an awkward vote in full view of the public. Commissioner García-Nakata said that the Commission was on a decent fast track with the new Direcctor. She said that since President Johnston needed to move on, the Commission should consult the City Attorney’s office, and appoint someone to chair the next meeting. She said she was asking for time to discuss the vote, and there was a lot the Commission had to get done. She said that President Johnston had been really good about addressing process, and that Commissioners can use training about procedure; she would like more training. She listed some criteria for choosing the next president: interested, lively, good judgment, knowledge. She said that President Johnston’s departure was a huge shift for this Commission. She said she would like to make it clear that she is not fishing, that she does not have the time. She said that there are best practices the Commission needs to think about in the nominations. She said she was feeling just then, at that hour, though the Mayor was leaning on people to go with this, she had to think about due diligence. She asked if there was a way to chair the next meeting without a quick election. She said she respected her two colleagues immensely, and that it was a really different thing to consider the process. She added that when the Commission voted for its President, there should be 100% attendance.

President Johnston said that he would prefer not to have Commissioners Beltran and Melania speak on their own behalf. Based on that, he was inclined to table the vote rather than force every member on the record right now.

President Johnston offered one correction: the President isn’t the most important person, it’s the Director. The Commission, he pointed out, like all commissions, is an oversight body to provide policy direction. He said that the agency needs to be run by staff, led by a competent Director of Cultural Affairs. He is confident that the agency has that. He said that the presidency is important, but the relationship needs to bounce back into balance, and staff is primary.

President Johnston said that he would ask Deputy City Attorney Adine Varah to advise staff how to proceed, and that committee assignments would remain the same. He pointed out that the City has a newly-elected Mayor, who inherited the appointments made by Mayor Newsom. He pointed that last year, while he served as interim, Mayor Lee didn’t make many appointments, but President Johnston thought it was likely that he would do so this year, and it was important that Commissioners remember this.

Although he was uncomfortable extending this matter, President Johnston continued this item to the next meeting of the full Commission.
Technology Report
Public Information Manager Kate Patterson reported on some of the agency’s technological initiatives in the last year. She explained that Graff City is an iApp for smart phones, developed by McCann World Group, intended to address graffiti. She said that McCann staff read about the success of the StreetSmARTS program, and developed this app. She explained how the app works and showed some examples of what people have created. Users take a picture of any surface or object with their smart phones, and the app gives them virtual paint to color or draw on the picture. The app allows them to share those images, so that others can see their virtual artwork as “augmented reality.” She said that McCann worked with the Arts Commission staff to develop language describing the app’s purpose and the agency’s stance on graffiti art versus vandalism. She reported that staff worked with Cameron Moberg, artist and teacher in the StreetSmARTS program, and with Department of Public Works leadership to vet the app. Graff City had a soft launch in September, and staff had hoped to have a hard launch in December, but the Apple Store cancelled at the last minute. She said that she is working with Arts Education Program Manager Tyra Fennell and with Ms. Nemzoff to set up an event, possibly incorprating the hard launch into a Central Market event.
Next, Ms. Patterson introduced Anna Bloom, who has just completed a fellowship with Code for America. She said that they are partnering with city governments to make them more open an accessible. She said that Mayor Lee came to visit their offices the preceding Friday, and mentioned them in his inaugural speech.

She said that they worked with four cities, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, to created a public art finder which makes public more discoverable. She showed several images, and explained that Code for America created a mobile website, and have put some 800 works onto the site. This enables users to find images, titles and artist information. They are doing a pilot project to test community curation allowing people to independently add artworks to the site. She reported that they created a special program that enabled people to tweet the location of an artwork. Once tweeted, the artwork would be geolocated on the public art map. She also reported that they partnered with Foursquare to help assist with geolocating the objects and to add an interactive aspect to the project.

She said that her team is working on this because they enjoy public art in San Francisco, and wanted to learn more about the artworks. She said that if they had more time and more funding, they would do place-based marketing and QR codes that would allow users to find out more about an artwork. They would work with artists to help people find out about their work, and work a little more on the technology. She said it would be important to submit it to the iPhone store, and they would like to put in more community features, get public art onto Facebook, and other things. She said that there was so much beautiful artwork as they walk down the street, they are looking for more ways to engage with it.

President Johnston pointed out the image of Language of the Birds, the award-winning artwork created by Commissioner Keehn. She thanked him and asked Ms. Bloom if the list of artworks could be alphabetized, that there was no way to search for a particular artwork by name.

Ms. Bloom agreed and said they simply ran out of time.

Commissioner Chew said he loved the app, and asked about McCann. Ms. Patterson said that staff from the San Francisco office came to the Arts Commission with the project, although they have since shut their doors. She thanked Ms. Bloom for her wonderful work, and said it was great to have them do all of this pro bono. She added that the Commission didn’t have a budget for this kind of project, and these donations were important.

She described the Arts Commission’s website as more paleolithic than byzantine, a collection of various sites, and redesigning it is a big project. In addition to $50,000 to develop an app for the Commission, the agency is also looking for funds to redesign and rebuild the website, and welcomes ideas.

Commissioner Keehn asked about the rebranding project. Ms. Patterson said that she will present the final three designs to the Visual Arts Committee in January for their vote, and the staff has already voted on their favorite.

Public Comment:
Mr. Hartz applauded the presenters and the project, and complimented the volunteers. He said this item was properly agendized, giving an explanatory document, a link, a place to go and look at the app. He said any person could go to the website and look at this. He said these folks shouldn’t have the burden solely. If publicized, he said that the Commission might get assistance from other members of the tech community. He said that if the agency gets the public involved, the chances are just as great to get positive input as people with negative input. He said there should be full public participation.

Mr. Warfield said he did not come here to comment, and picked up an agenda packet that completely omitted this. He said there were some alarming aspects, and asked why have the augmented reality mode? He asked why not give everyone spray cans with the Arts Commission logo? He said that he didn’t know that spraying things in public is what should be encouraged. He asked what the difference was between this and defacement or graffiti. He said that he was concerned with privacy.

President Johnston asked whether he had said “privacy.” Mr. Warfield said yes, that Facebook had concerns with privacy, selling information and censorship, and was written up on a blog in the New York Times over their censorship of artwork placed on Facebook. He said there was a range of issues, lack of equality of access, that one has to pay to play, buy the iPhone and the app.

Ms. Patterson reiterated that the app is free.
Public Comment
The anonymous citizen said that a child may tell mom that dad said he could go swimming, then tell dad that mom said it was okay. He said this was the case with the Bernal Heights Branch Library. He said that apparently the Arts Commission was told the Library was behind this, and the Arts Commission is following their lead. He said that they’re being told the Arts Commission is taking the lead. He said that in August, the mural is a distinguished example, there were some issues with the Latino community. He said that the Library Commission passed a resolution in August that the mural would be retained and restored, and that the other two sides were under discussion. He said that other discussions were held with the stipulation that participants were stakeholders. He said that he was not involved, nor was anyone the Commission knows. He said the stakeholders were one-tenth of one percent. He said that the key process they have some respect of irrespective of results; that they never had respect for process, they subverted public process.
Mr. Warfield said that the Commission has been taking up the complete and total destruction of the Bernal Heights mural, not to speak of libraries. He said there was no discussion of what exists on the library, nor what is to replace it. He said there were general discussions about respect and community process. He said that apparently the so-called community process took over two years, and the Commission apparently relied on staff material. He said that the community process was really the opposite, exclusion of the community from the process almost entirely. He said that one Supervisor selected a representative, one person selected the panel by interview. He said that there were no public meetings, discussion or statement since 2010. He said that the task force did everything, including the selection of artists. He said that one meeting took place on two days, and they decided there would be no open process for artists to be selected. He said the reliance on the so-called community process was a mistake, that the decision was not made on content, and a lot was excluded.

Mr. Hartz commended the decision to move forward the elections. He said that any two people to enter offices need to have a clear understanding of why they are elected. He said this would give a clear sense of authority. He said that steamrolling ahead was unfortunately the perception of many, that they think the Commission is going to do what it’s going to do and you’ll get flattened.

He said that he went to the Police Commission for selection of the Chiefs of Police. He said the Commission should compare its success rate with the citizen selection of sheriffs, where there was never any scandal. He said that with the police chief, within a few months there was scandal after scandal. He said that he had worked in Hawaii, and that open process organizations had the least objections. He said that most said it was a fair process, and understand that it may or may not work out. He said that if it is not open, that is one of the rocks that will be thrown.

There was no further public comment.
Reports and Announcements
There were no further reports or announcements.
New Business
There was no new business.
Adjournment
President Johnston adjourned the meeting in the memory of Dugald Stermer, long active with Delancy Street, a wonderful human being who served on the Arts Commission for many years; and in the memory of Warren Hellman, who had his role in the arts with the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, whose trust has been endowed for at least twelve years. President Johnston added that he was pretty close with him in the last few months, and he thanked Commissioner Melania for that reminder.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

2/6/12 spr