As the flags at the Marin Civic Center fly at half-staff and people all over Marin mourn the , the calendar provides a blunt reminder that the wheels of county government keep turning.
The Board of Supervisors is set to hold its regular meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m. County Administrator Matthew Hymel said he plans to bump many of the items on the agenda to the next meeting, allowing supervisors to share their thoughts about McGlashan and his legacy.
“It will be the beginning of us acknowledging his contributions and recognizing what he has done for the county,” Hymel said.
But with local officials McGlashan’s death has created, county officials must now begin the process of filling that void, at least in the interim. State law calls for Gov. Jerry Brown to appoint someone to McGlashan’s seat for the duration of his term, which ends in January 2013.
Hymel said the county could submit recommendations on potential appointees, working through its county lobbyist in Sacramento, Cathy Christian of Nielsen Merksamer.
At the beginning of each year, county law requires that each supervisor designate at least three people to stand in for him or her in the event of an emergency. Although that list isn’t directly applicable to an appointment in the event of the death of a supervisor, Hymel said that it could conceivably be used as a starting point.
“It’s the governor’s appointment and we would certainly want to work with the governor’s office to make it the best choice possible for our Marin residents,” Hymel said. “This list doesn’t apply, but it may be the same individuals. These are the people that Charles would recommend. So we could use that list for this.”
At the top of McGlashan’s list of designees is Mill Valley City Councilwoman Shawn Marshall, his fellow Marin Energy Authority board member and close friend .
“If I am asked to serve, I will do so in his honor,” Marshall said.
Marshall is followed on McGlashan’s list of designees by Dennis Scremin, a therapist and former Sausalito City Councilman who held a number of roles in the mental health field within county government, as well as former Tiburon Town Councilman and current Marin County Planning Commissioner Mark Ginalski.
Scremin said McGlashan listed the same three names as his designees each year since he took office.
“I think it would be great if Shawn stepped in since she has worked so closely with Charles over the years,” Scremin said.
Although McGlashan's passing further diminishes a board that has already seen Supervisor Hal Brown miss most of the board's meetings so far in 2011 as he battles illness, Hymel noted that there is no specific timetable for Gov. Brown to make the appointment.
“Part of our work is to sustain his momentum as much as we can,” Scremin said. “I don’t think that anyone is going to replace Charles. He set the light, and we just have to follow it.”
