In a letter today to Mayor Jerry Sanders, former airport authority nominee John Davies asked to have his name withdrawn because of City Council opposition.
He wrote:
I am very grateful for your confidence and support in nominating me to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors. However, since the nomination was announced, substantial opposition to it has developed among the City Council Members. I do not believe I could effectively serve the interests of the citizens of the San Diego region without the strong support of the City Council. Therefore, I request that you withdraw my nomination.
Translation: You can’t get on the airport board without five members of the council voting for you. And if you can’t get the votes, you won’t serve.
Davies didn’t return a call for comment.
Rachel Laing, a spokeswoman for Sanders, said a new nominee is being vetted and will be announced in the next two days. Asked whether the vetting process includes determining if the council will support the nominee, Laing said in an e-mail:
That is not part of the formal vetting process, but certainly there is an effort to gauge support by council. It’s never certain though, because initial support can erode.