PD Editorial: Introducing a new Ed Board member

Nearly a year ago, we announced a new program in which we invite two members of the community to join The Press Democrat Editorial Board for six months at a time.

Today, we’re pleased to introduce our newest board member, Paul Berlant of Windsor. Berlant is our first community board member to come with extensive experience in local government, having served as city manager of Sebastopol from 1993-98 and town manager of Windsor from 1998-2005 when he retired.

Prior to that, he served as planning director in Santa Monica for five years and previously worked in planning positions for the cities of San Buenaventura and Fullerton.

In retirement, he has remained active in administrative circles, working as executive officer of the Marin General Services Authority and being involved with the International City/County Management Association, through which he serves as a senior adviser for city managers in Sonoma and Solano counties.

We believe Berlant’s perspective and knowledge of the workings of government will be particularly valuable as Sonoma County communities and the state will soon be develop ing their spending plans for the coming year. Many cities and the county face difficult choices on where to invest their modest budget surpluses, the product of a rebounding housing market and economy.

Berlant, who received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from USC, said he’s looking forward to providing The Press Democrat Editorial Board with that government perspective. He said he’s also looking forward to getting a better understanding of the workings of the newspaper and the editorial-development process in particular. “Most of us in local government don’t get a chance to sit on that side of the table,” he said.

Berlant will serve on the board until June 1.

He joins the existing members of the Editorial Board: Sonoma Media Investments CEO Steve Falk, Editorial Director Paul Gullixson, Assistant Editorial Director Jim Sweeney and Community Member Oscar A. Pardo, an attorney with the Santa Rosa firm of Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller and Moskowitz.

The community members take part in weekly board meetings, interviews with community leaders and election candidates and occasional off-site visits and tours. During their terms, they are full voting members of the board who are given an opportunity to write if they so choose.

We thank all of those who have applied for this position and encourage all those interested to stay in touch with us and let us know if they would like to remain on our running list of applicants. As we’ve noted previously, our goal is to hear from those who live and work in areas not represented by the current members of the editorial board - most of whom live in Santa Rosa. We also will be looking for residents who represent a variety of viewpoints, professions and demographics.

If you’re interested in applying, please send a resume and cover letter to paul.gullixson@pressdemocrat.com. We’d like to hear from you.