Avalon City Council appoints Steve Hoefs to fill vacant seat

AVALON—Catalina’s only municipality was shaken when Pam Albers, a beloved resident and council member, died in May. Avalon City Council had to make a few tough decisions on the road to filling the vacant seat, which at the end of the day resulted in Steve Hoefs’s appointment at the June 18 meeting. Avalon city staff, with direction from the council, put out advertisements to receive written statements from candidates who would be interested in filling the seat. The deadline to submit was June 12. Among the six candidates who submitted letters for consideration were Carl Johnson, Bryce Noll, Micah Phillips, Tim Winslow, Joe Sampson and Hoefs. Sampson was a former council member, who was known for his outspoken comments (notably a few dicey jabs against Catalina Island Co.) and ended his term in 2018 when he was not reelected. The process to replace Albers began at the June 4 meeting, where council members expressed feelings of confliction about appointing a new council member. This sentiment was echoed at the meeting on June 18. “I have talked to more people about this subject [filling the council vacancy] than any in my five years,” said Council member Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy, who further expressed the difficulty she...