The city of Tustin is looking for a few good people to serve on various commissions.

Two seats on the Planning Commission are available due to term expirations. Selected applicants will serve for two years. Jeff Thompson and Wisam “Sam” Altowaiji terms expire March 1st.

Thompson is a longtime member of the Planning Commission who has extensive experience in planning and construction. Jeff lives in Old Town Tustin but has not always sided with Old Town residents. When he feels squeezed, as he did with the Wilcox debacle, he chose to sit out on the proceedings even though he was qualified to vote.

Altowaiji is the new kid on the block… sort of. Sam worked for the city (and for Elizabeth Binsack) until he retired last year. He immediately sought appointment to the Planning Commission and was accepted by the good ol’ boys on the city council. An insider, he has not held any controversial positions on issues and always votes in lockstep with the city staff recommendations.

The Planning Commission meets twice a month in city council chambers and compensation is $150 per meeting.  I have heard of two qualified candidates that are considering applying. If they do, we will let you know our opinion (we like them both).

There are also two vacancies on the Community Services Commission due to term vacancies.  Both Chairman Ken Henderson and Amy Nakamoto have expiring terms. The Commission meets at 6:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month and serves as an advisory body on recreation, parks, park design, facilities, and programs in Tustin. Compensation is $100.00 per meeting. Applicants are required to be residents and registered voters in the City of Tustin.

On the Audit Commission, R. Lawrence Friend and Gregory Moore have expiring terms. Terms on the Audit Commission are four years and the stipend is $100 per meeting. Commissioners meet 5 times a year and have recently added duties overseeing the city investments.

Applicants must be registered to vote in the Tustin area but, unlike the other to commissions, up to two of the commissioners may be residents within the Tustin Water District but not necessarily the city itself.

Applications must be submitted no later than January 29, 2014 at the close of the business day. You can find the application and further information here. Applications can be submitted in person or emailed to the city clerk’s office at cityclerk@tustinca.org.