EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – What used to be a fairly automatic changing of the guard was far from that last week in Placerville. The first meeting of the new El Dorado County Board of Supervisors started on a divisive note when deciding who would be the board chairperson for one year. With the passing of Supervisor John Hidahl who had been the vice-chair for 2024 and presumably the chair for 2025, a new rotation had to be decided upon.
Each January the board uses its first meeting of the year to select the next chair, vice chair, and first vice chair. In the past, though not always, the previous vice chair moves up into the chair position.
New Supervisor Greg Ferrero nominated the other newly elected supervisor, Brian Veerkamp, to be the chair, passing by the other three members of the board who have been seated for the last four years. Veerkamp is different than most new supervisors in that he has already served eight years with the board, from 2013-2020, and Ferrero said he knew he could personally learn from the expertise.
Supervisor Brooke Laine, who represents the area that includes South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, and Tahoma, said while Veerkamp has previous board leadership the chair position should go to a senior member for consistency and she supported Supervisor Lori Parlin, even though the two haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. Laine said she really didn’t have an interest in the chair position due to the distance from South Lake Tahoe to Placerville for the chairperson obligations.
Veerkamp said he thinks things have been degrading over the past few years from the dais, and he advocated for himself to move to the chair due to a proven track record and that he can get things back on track and guide the county in the direction they want it to go, and get back to business.
Parlin said she took offense to Veerkamp speaking about how bad things have been since he left the board in 2020. She said because of those comments she wouldn’t support him as chair.
“This is most unfortunate. We’ve worked hard to become collaborative and transparent,” said Parlin.
Newly reelected Supervisor George Turnboo was also nominated to be chair, a position he hadn’t held in his previous term. Parlin served a year a chair and Laine has not.
After public comment and discussion, the five supervisors came together and voted for Turnboo to be chair, Laine vice-chair, and Parlin as first vice-chair. Turnboo said he wants to do what’s best for the county and will work on running a smooth meeting.