Timing of MROSD resignation made appointment a certainty

The resignation of Midpeninsula Open Space District baord member Deane Little a couple of months past the deadline for putting the seat on November’s ballot is reminiscent of past resignations as well as a "notorious incident" that seemed designed to keep the board in friendly hands, according to the Palo Alto Weekly.

Little said he was unaware of criticisms of the board in past decades, following late resignations that forced the board to appoint someone or allowed an insider candidate to file at the last minute. He would have had to resign by last June to allow time for the board to include his seat in the Nov. 7 election.

In a notorious incident in the 1970s, former board member Bill Peters simply failed to show up to file re-election forms and a different candidate, Ed Shelley, showed up instead with his own filing papers. The sleight-of-candidate move prompted the state Legislature to pass the current law allowing five extra filing days when an incumbent fails to file.

The MROSD has already announced that it plans to appoint Little’s replacement.