Three vie for planning commission seat

Assuming the agenda for tomorrow night's City Council meeting is up-to-date, three men have thrown their name into the mix to fill the vacancy on the Patterson Planning Commission left by the departed Duvahn Ferreira.

The council will vote on Ferreira's replacement. Here are the three candidates whose applications are included in the meeting agenda (which can be found here):

• Matthew Heath, a retired business owner who has been active in the community for years. According to his application, Heath has been involved in the Northmead School Site Council, Lions Club and Knights of Columbus. Heath writes in his application that his main area of interest in Patterson's city government is "the continued financial success of our great city and participating and contributing in making Patterson a great place to live and raise our families."

• Bryan Bingham, director of the Patterson Cemetery District. Bingham claims no specific knowledge he'd bring on planning but states that he is a lifelong resident and has been a scoutmaster in Boy Scout Troop 81 in Patterson and is a past president of the local Lions Club.

• Birdie Rodriguez, who works with Sierra Pacific and has had the most experience in city government of the three applicants. Rodriguez recently served on the General Plan Advisory Committee and has served on the city's Parks and Recreation Commission. He was also the varsity boys basketball coach at Patterson High back when I was the Irrigator's sports editor. I can't speak to his planning credentials, but I can tell you he's always good for a quote.