The Discovery Bay CSD Board has appointed a director to fill the board’s fifth seat. In a 3-1 vote (Director Mark Simon abstained), the board appointed longtime resident Jim Mattison to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of former Director Brian Dawson.

“I’m looking forward to serving and have already started digging in,” said Mattison, 52, who recently served on the CSD’s Community Center Committee. “The good news is that I already know all the players … and I look forward to helping our community grow carefully and wisely.”

Mattison, who has lived in Discovery Bay since 1996, works in commercial real estate for the wireless industry. He is a member of the Lions Club and has been involved in the CYO program in Discovery Bay for years.

The appointment on April 4 took two tries. The first round of voting began with Director Ray Tetreault’s nomination of applicant Bruce Hall. The nomination was seconded by Simon.

“What I would like to see happen here tonight is: I don’t want this to be a popularity contest, or what this board has been in the past, which is the good-old-boys network,” said Simon. “We have an obligation to the residents of this community to bring the most qualified person onto this board … and that is the reason I second the nomination of Bruce Hall.”

Simon and Tetreault voted for Hall; Director Kevin Graves and President Chris Steele dissented. Graves then introduced Mattison’s nomination, which was seconded by Steele.

“I think that Jim brings a fresh look to the board and has a lot of great skills in project management and leadership,” said Steele. “And I think he will continue to make this the place where we live and play in Discovery Bay.”

However, Tetreault voted against Mattison and Simon abstained, leaving legal council to call for a five-minute recess to determine how an abstention affects the vote under the guidelines of Rosenberg’s Rules, which the board follows.

“In reviewing your bylaws,” said CSD legal counsel Dan Schroeder. “The affirmative vote of three members are required for action … Abstention is not an affirmative vote; it is not a majority vote.”

The board was left with the options of moving on to a third applicant, making a motion for reconsideration or doing nothing, which would throw the appointment into the Board of Supervisors’ court.

Steele urged his fellow board members to try again. “I would just remind us that we are at a crossroads,” said Steele. “And again, our community and constituents have asked us to serve them and be representative of them and I would ask that we reconsider. I think that it is very important that we are able to function as a board and keep our decisions local … I would prefer that we could work this out tonight and not have a default.”

Simon said his abstention had nothing to do with Mattison on a personal level.

“I abstained because to have that would put four Lions Club members on the board, and I’m considering resigning,” said Simon, “because it is my belief that having one group having total representation on the board is wrong.”

In the end, Tetreault changed his vote. “OK, here’s the deal,” said Tetreault. “I like Jim, I serve with him on the Lions and my vote was nothing personally against him … But because I do not want to send it back to the Board of Supervisors, I make a motion to reconsider the nomination.”

Mattison was appointed in a 3-1, Simon again abstaining. Mattison will serve out the remainder of Dawson’s term, which ends in November.