Black leaders successfully fend off attempt to remove Planning Commissioner
Jan. 20—A collection of Black leaders spoke out against the removal of Michael T. Bowers from the Planning Commission during Wednesday's Bakersfield City Council meeting, successfully preventing the commissioner from being forced off the committee.
Bowers, who is also Black, had been set to be removed upon the request of Councilman Eric Arias. The seven members who make up the Planning Commission represent each of the city's seven wards and serve at the pleasure of each ward's councilmember. An individual councilmember can request the removal of the commissioner who represents his or her ward, but that request must be approved by the full council.
On Wednesday, Bowers fought back against his removal, which he said caught him by surprise and defamed his reputation.
"This is not (Arias') seat. This is the people's seat," Bowers said following the meeting. "He wants to play politics with the people's seat and it's unfortunate."
For his part, Arias appeared to believe Bowers had voiced his intent to leave the Planning Commission. Even during the meeting, there was some confusion on the City Council over whether Bowers had submitted a letter of resignation.
"It's standard procedure for council members to request commissioners to either resign or look for a replacement for them," Arias said prior to the meeting. "They serve at the (pleasure) of the council and typically these things do not drum up political antics."
Bowers plans to move out of Ward 1 in April, and planning commissioners must live in the ward they represent. But Bowers said he intends to submit his letter of resignation on April 7, the day before his planned move, and he wants to stay on the commission until that date.
He is the only Black member of either the Planning Commission or the City Council, and both the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People spoke out against the removal in addition to others.
"We think this is improper," said Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Nick Hill. "This should have been handled in a much more professional manner."
Others claimed the removal followed a familiar pattern previous Black leaders had undergone. But Bowers said his political affiliation may have played a role. He is a former staffer for former Republican Congressman Andy Vidak and current Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, while Arias works for Democratic State Assemblyman Rudy Salas, who is seeking congressional office.
"It's pure politics, it's nothing else," Bowers said following the meeting.
Arias did not comment on the issue during the meeting other than to voice support for a council vote that ultimately denied his request to remove Bowers from the Planning Commission.
He said before the meeting he had intended to ensure there was no gap in Ward 1 representation on the commission.
"We wanted to be well within the parameters of the law, give the city plenty of time to find an appointee for his seat," he said.
After a short discussion, the City Council voted 5-0, with Councilmen Chris Parlier and Bruce Freeman absent, to deny the request to remove Bowers, but open the application process for his eventual replacement.
The council intends to fill Bower's position on the Planning Commission as soon as he resigns.
You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
