Two members of the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission resigned at last night’s meeting.
Commissioners Jason Dickson and Eileen Leslie both resigned at the start of the regularly scheduled meeting, each for their own respective reason.
Commissioner Dickson, who has been on the planning commission for five years, announced that he would be leaving Twentynine Palms for a new job. Dickson said:
“I would like to put out there that this is my last meeting on the planning commission. I am resigning my commission as I am leaving out of state for another job. I know Twentynine Palms will continue without me but they are wholeheartedly in my heart.”
Commissioner Leslie then announced her departure from the commission, citing overwhelming conflicts of interest preventing her from effectively serving on the Planning Commission, after joining the governing body only a few months ago.
Leslie said:
“I’d like to say, and I don’t want to get upset because I really believe in public service, and I feel that I’m not a time waster, so I want to apologize because I wouldn’t have taken this position knowing that I would have to recuse myself on so many issues. It’s not just short term rentals, it’s CUP (conditional land permits), bars, restaurants, licenses, Project Phoenix. I would probably have to recuse myself of all these things. So at this time, I am going to have to resign my position.”
The Planning Commission is expected to fill the vacancies by seeking applications from interested city residents over the next few months.
After the resignations, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for the Truth Tabernacle Church in the former Desert Trail location, and broke out for study session on the issue of homelessness.
