Rancho Mirage City Council appoints Michael O’Keefe as new member, replacing Richard Kite

Following Richard Kite's resignation last month from the Rancho Mirage City Council, the council unanimously agreed Thursday to replace him by appointing Michael O’Keefe, a member of the city’s cultural commission.

The decision came after the council interviewed several applicants for the position during a special meeting Tuesday. The city received applications from 11 residents, seven of whom participated in the interviews.

The council decided in November to appoint a new member rather than hold a special election, with members citing the $114,000 cost of a standalone special election and the relatively short period that the interim member will serve. Kite was elected to a term that expires in November 2024.

The council agreed to appoint O’Keefe to the vacant seat after two people were initially chosen from the field of applicants. Councilmember Meg Marker nominated David Grey, who chairs the city’s planning commission, for the seat, while the other three members nominated O’Keefe.

Who is Michael O'Keefe?

O’Keefe, 73, has been a member of the Rancho Mirage Cultural Commission since 2021, and he’s also currently a member of the Del Webb Rancho Mirage Community Outreach Advisory Committee.

Before moving to Rancho Mirage, he was also an active community member in Desert Hot Springs from 2007 to 2013, serving on several committee and as vice president of the city’s chamber of commerce over part of that period. He’s also been involved with several local nonprofits, being named the valley’s National Philanthropy Day Volunteer of the Year in 2009.

In his professional career, O’Keefe worked for several years as a general manager for a variety of department stores in the Los Angeles area, before his most recent job working as a researcher and writer for the Health in Aging Institute from 2015 to 2018.

“I have spent my career working with the public,” O’Keefe said in his council application. “As a buyer and general manger of department stores, I learned to listen to the public’s ideas, suggestions, complaints, and wishes. I learned to anticipate their needs and to work to deliver results.”

O’Keefe also said Rancho Mirage “represents the gold standard of city governance,” adding that his vision is to keep and enhance that reputation. His priorities included “sensible, conscientious planning for future development,” maintaining adequate public safety and promoting tourism.

Upon his appointment, O’Keefe gave some brief remarks, pledging to the city’s residents “that I will do my very best to be a good and effective councilmember for you, and I look forward to meeting you and hearing your thoughts about our wonderful city.”

During his interview Tuesday, O’Keefe also told the council that he plans to run for a full term on the council in the November 2024 election, stating: “It’s just not my nature to get in, learn the basics, get started and then quit.”

Last month, a couple residents urged the council to require the new appointee to not seek a full term in next year’s general election — saying an appointment tips the scale in favor of unelected incumbents. A few council members responded by saying they can't place such conditions upon an appointee.

On Thursday, Marker said the “ideal situation” would have been to see the best candidates offer to serve as a placeholder, but nobody made that promise.

What the council said

While one other applicant was also nominated for the vote, the council quickly agreed to move forward with appointing O’Keefe.

Mayor Pro Tem Ted Weill made the nomination first, noting O’Keefe’s experience both in Rancho Mirage and other cities in the valley.

“It was very hard for me to make this decision — not to pick this individual, but because there were several that I felt were more than qualified,” Weill said. “I felt that Michael O'Keefe stood out above the others based upon his past performance, based upon his activities in the city, in another city (and he’s) active in the community that he lives in today.”

Other councilmembers, including Mayor Steve Downs, concurred, and O’Keefe was appointed by a 4-0 vote. He was then sworn in immediately and joined the council in its closed session at the end of the meeting.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Rancho Mirage City Council appoints Michael O’Keefe as new member