New members join Valley’s advisory group

Two of Sonoma Valley’s advisory groups, the Springs Municipal Advisory Council and the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission, have added new members to their rosters. These citizens review projects and advise the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on public projects, community events and issues facing residents of the Valley.

The new appointees to the advisory groups, chosen by 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin, place a focus on children and education, based on the backgrounds of the new members. Children’s welfare has become a topic of concern over the past five years, following interruptions to learning in schools from fires, public safety power shutoffs and COVID-19.

While the advisory committees hold no decision-making power, the groups provide guidance to Gorin and her board colleagues through public input received in their monthly meetings.

The new members joining the Springs Municipal Advisory Council are Joe Hardeman, Celeste Winders and Ron Franklin. And the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission welcomes Terry Crisler and Maite Iturri.

Hardeman was raised in Sonoma Valley and is the vice president of program operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. As a resident of the Springs, he said he’s been a witness to the equity issues that plague the Valley.

“In general, Sonoma is siloed away from the rest of the county and the unincorporated (areas) are siloed even more than that,” Hardeman said. “Equity is not really there for the Valley as a whole, and the unincorporated gets an even shorter end of the stick.”

Winders was appointed to the at-large position on the Springs MAC, while she also campaigns to become a member of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees. She is a special education advocate in Sonoma Valley and co-founded the Strategic Education Advocacy.

Ron Franklin has since resigned his appointment and did not provide details regarding his departure from the Springs MAC.

Terry Crisler was appointed to fill the south Valley seat of the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Committee. As a local real estate agent, she believes she can help provide expertise for construction and planning projects.

“I’m a moderate person,” Crisler said. “A lot of what I do, both in my career and in my personal life, is try to find ways to find common ground with people.”

Between her connections in the community with winemakers, mom-and-pop stores and the Valley’s wealthy benefactors, she believes her skills can help the community “come to the table” and be heard on a range of issues.

Iturri has been appointed to the at-large alternate county seat of the SVCAC. Iturri is currently the chair of the Springs MAC and has served as a principal in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. She is now assistant superintendent and Title IX coordinator for Petaluma City Schools.

“My hope is to help the City and County work together on land issues that are important to all our community,” Iturri said. “I look forward to helping bring a perspective that includes all in our community and creating space for more voices to be heard.”

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.