The Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District (GBD) holds board elections this month. There are five open seats, all for three-year terms. Three are set aside for Dogpatch property owners, one for a Dogpatch tenant, one for a green space advocate. None of the seats are in the GBD’s NW Potrero Hill section.
Five candidates are competing for the three Dogpatch property owner spots: Sean Harris, Donovan Lacy, Patrice Martin, Michael Spain, and Shawn Troedson. Richard Romero, the View’s marketing director, is running unopposed for the Dogpatch tenant seat; Susan Eslick is unchallenged for the green space advocate spot.
Polls will be open March 6 to 28. Dogpatch and NW Potrero Hill property owners who pay the GBD assessment will receive a ballot in the mail, which’ll include a code to vote online. Results will be announced April 3; the new board will convene on April 19. If past elections are any indication, voter turnout will likely be low.
The board comprises 15 people, with five up for election annually, in rotating three-year terms. To stagger terms, in early elections candidates with the most votes secured three-year tenures, those in the middle, two-years, and those with the least votes, a single-year. According to GBD Executive Director Julie Christensen, due to the exigencies of COVID some board members left the area, resulting in an election for nine seats in 2022. All terms are now three-years.
Though there are no open seats available this year to NW Potrero Hill residents, Christensen explained that Potrero Hill has a slightly larger board representation than the numbers would dictate. The Hill represents 13 percent of GBD assessments – which vary by land use, ranging from roughly $125 to $200 annually – so should only have two seats, but the Board changed the organization’s bylaws to allocate the area three. According to Christensen, having three Hill seats instead of two provides a balance, and a tie-breaking vote if Hill board members are divided over an issue.
The Dogpatch and NW Potrero Hill GBD board will convene on March 15, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. More information can be found at https://www.greenbenefit.org/boardcandidates23.
