Steve Barr – from his 2016 campaign for County Supervisor.
Moving to his ranch in Northern California; council expected to appoint replacement through 2018
By Allen Payton
The City of Brentwood announced on Monday that Vice Mayor Steve Barr will resign from the City Council effective September 8, 2017. Vice Mayor Barr submitted his letter of resignation dated August 28, 2017 to the City Clerk, identifying September 8th as his last day as Vice Mayor.
With this announcement, the City Council will begin discussion on how to fill this vacancy at the September 12, 2017 City Council meeting.
VBarr was elected as a City Council Member on November 2, 2010 and served as the Vice Mayor 2010-2012 and 2016-current. Additionally, he has most recently served on City Council Committees such as the Agriculture Enterprise, Land Use and Development, Fire and Medical Services ad hoc, Budget and Finance, and the Police Activities League.
His term expires November 2018 requiring the City Council to address filling the vacancy until the next regular election in November 2018.
In a letter to Mayor Bob Taylor and the other council members on Monday, Barr wrote the following:
“My wife and I have called Brentwood home for the last 37 years and as you may know we have recently sold our home and have been living with friends while we search for a new residence. Since the sale of our home we have taken a vacation for some much-needed time off and used that time to explore all our options moving into retirement, after careful consideration we have made the difficult decision to relocated to far northern California.”
“In the coming weeks, I will be permanently relocating and it is with heavy heart that I must resign my position as Vice Mayor,” he continued. “I take comfort in knowing that the leadership team of Mayor Taylor, Council Member Joel Bryant, Councilmember Claudette Staton and Councilmember Karen Rarey with the support by an incredible city staff will keep Brentwood moving forward with the best yet to come for our residents.”
When reached for comment Mayor Bob Taylor said, “I was a little taken aback. I wasn’t prepared for it.”
“There was no explanation other than to sell their home and move up north,” he continued. “It was kind of a jolt to me. But I wish him well.”
Asked if he expected to appoint someone to fill the council vacancy, Taylor responded, “We’ll do an appointment. Here’s what I’d like the process to be. Instead of spending $100,000 on an election see whoever is going to be appointed go through an appointment process.”
Barr served as a Trustee on the Liberty Union High School District first as an appointed member from 2005-06 and then was elected in 2006. He served on the school board until 2010 when he was elected to the City Council. Barr ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2012 against Taylor. He was re-elected to the council in 2014 and then jumped into the race for County Supervisor for District 3, last year. Barr made it into the run-off besting four other opponents in the June Primary, but lost in the November election to Diane Burgis.
Barr mentioned some of the changes during his time living in the community.
“We came to Brentwood following our dream to raise our family in a small town that’s [sic] residents committed to making their community a great place to live and valued the local heritage that makes Brentwood so special,” he wrote. “Much has changed from when we first moved to Brentwood, there are signalized intersections where there were only stop signs, Highway 4 is now on the west side of town and we have more than one grocery store to choose from to name a few. The one thing that has remain unchanged is the small town feel and the commitment to the community by our residents and leaders.”
Rarey offered her thoughts on Barr’s resignation, “He’s got a ranch. He’s been doing lots of work up there. Every time I see him he’s been coming back into town. I think they thought their home was going to take longer to sell.”
“It will go to the council on Sept 12 and the council will have to make a decision to go for a special election in June or appoint,” she stated regarding the council vacancy. “Hopefully, we’ll make a decision that night and be able to move forward.”
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