The CAPE Board of Directors Election this summer determined who would fill the expiring terms of four (4) CAPE Board incumbents as well as one (1) vacant seat on the board. Seven (7) candidates, including the incumbents, stepped up for the opportunity to serve on the Board. All four incumbents - Lisa Andres, Assessor; John Fallon, DPW; Barbara Volz, DPW; and Dennis Ruh, DPW - were reelected to another two-year term. The fifth-place candidate, Brent Decker, Assessor, was officially sworn-in to serve a one-year term at the regularly scheduled board meeting on September 11, 2014.
Brent Decker is a Supervising Appraiser at the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office. Decker joined CAPE at his first opportunity after he was hired, and he has been an activist member of the union throughout his 25-year County career. Decker has served in numerous CAPE volunteer roles over the years including as a CAPE delegate to his department (for many years), a contract negotiating team member (on multiple occasions), and on the most recent Political Endorsement Committee (PEC).
The following excerpts are taken from Decker's candidate statement:
"In my 25 years of County service I have learned from experience that sometimes even good employees need the protections offered by the Union...The politically well-connected don't always want us to do our jobs properly...Our professional colleagues must be protected from political witch hunts, raids on our pensions, and political pressure to give special treatment to the well-connected."
We thank all of the candidates for their willingness to serve their professional colleagues in CAPE, and we welcome Brent Decker to the board!
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| On August 28, 2014, representatives from the independent elections firm of California Elections Company, CEC, joined CAPE-member election representatives Paul Huld of the Assessor's Office and Joaquin Cabrera of DPW to conduct the ballot count. |