Hermon Residents Seek to Overturn Election of New Rep

Stakeholders from the community of Hermon plan to use Monday evening's meeting of the  (ASNC) to urge the board to overturn their recent election of their new neighborhood representative. 

Despite outspoken public comment to the contrary, the ASNC elected Hermon resident Margaret Barto to replace Hermon representative Ken Kallman during their Monday, February 27 meeting. 

Stakeholders on Monday evening will present a formal grievance to the ASNC, arguing that Barto's appointment violates the board's bylaws, which state that "Geographical representatives ... shall be elected by those members registered within each of the ... communities." 

According to Hermon resident Wendi Riser, none of the 10 Hermon residents who spoke at the February meeting supported Barto, and instead backed the candidacy of candidate Marina Argueta. 

The Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council meets on Monday, April 2 at 6 p.m. at  

"... all our Hermon people either spoke or put in speaker cards in support of Marina, with absolutely no one from the audience or the board speaking in support of Margaret," Riser wrote in her All Things Hermon newsletter. "The decision seemed to be very clear and obvious."

The grievance calls for the seat to be vacated and for a special election to be held in which only Hermon stakeholders can vote. 

According to Hermon resident Joseph Riser--who sits on the ASNC as a education representative--stakeholders are also circulating a petition that calls for a recall election. 

It is unlikely that the Hermon grievance will he heard soon, however, as the embattled ASNC is currently in the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment's "exhaustive measures" program. 

The board was placed into the program as a last ditch effort by DONE to address on going in-fights and questions about by the board. 

Barto, who was a member of the first ASNC board, said she did not take the grievance personally. 

"I was asked to consider coming back to the board by some existing members. I didn't realize that somebody else was running," Barto said. "I know some of the stakeholders personally, I don't think this grievance was anything against me. It was against how the election was done." 

However, Barto said she would not step down from the board. 

"I plan to follow through with what I was asked to follow through with," Barto said. "I don't think stepping down right now would help anything."