DANVILLE, CA — The Town of Danville is seeking applicants for a total of five vacant positions on the Bicycle Advisory Commission and the Heritage Resource Commission.
The two seats on the Bicycle Advisory Commission are open after the Danville Town Council voted 3-1 on Jan. 14 to remove Commissioners Alan Kalin and Bruce Bilodeau. The controversial decision follows months of conflict between the commissioners and Councilmembers Newell Arnerich and Robert Storer, according to reports in DanvilleSanRamon and the Bay Area News Group.
Arnerich and Storer have said that the decision is due to “personality issues.” Kalin said that the councilmembers have accused him and Bilodeau of harassing town staff, and causing two other commissioners to decline to renew their terms.
At the Jan. 14 meeting, Kalin alleged that Arnerich met him for coffee in March 2024, and aggressively told him to resign, an account that Arnerich disputed to DanvilleSanRamon.
“At least one member of the Town Council has vilified my efforts, maligned my character, falsely accused me of unlawful behavior including workplace harassment, and worked behind the scenes and actively attacked me at Town Council meetings to have me removed from the bike commission,” Kalin said during comment at the Jan. 14 meeting.
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Several supporters spoke in his favor, notably cyclists lauding him for his efforts to build turnouts on Mount Diablo to make cycling safer.
Councilmember Karen Stepper was the lone vote against the decision. She praised Kalin and Bilodeau’s hard work for cyclists and the community, and said she felt there should be better promotion of the commissioner interviews and commission meetings.
Arnerich, Storer, and Belotz voted in favor.
Applications for the two vacant seats are due by Thursday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. Interviews will take place March 11 and 18. Appointments will be made following interviews, and the terms will end June 30, 2026.
Positions are also open on the Heritage Resource Commission. Two positions will end Dec. 31, 2027, and one will end Dec. 31, 2028.
Applications can be submitted here. For additional information, contact City Clerk Marie Sunseri at 925-314-3401 or [email protected].