A decision on filling the vacant Solvang City Council seat has again been postponed after the remaining four council members deadlocked Monday night, Sept. 25, on all options available to them.

The only decision reached after a series of failed 2-2 votes on various motions was to call a special City Council meeting as soon as possible to resume the debate over how to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Hans Duus, who has moved to Santa Maria.

Duus announced his resignation at the start of the council’s Aug. 28 meeting after saying that he and his wife, Carla, had signed paperwork to lease a condominium in Santa Maria.

City Manager Brad Vidro explained at the Sept. 25 meeting, as he had at the Sept. 11 meeting, that the options available to the council included appointing the person who got the next highest number of votes in the 2016 election, which is the council’s previously approved protocol; taking applications for an appointment; or holding a special election, which would cost anywhere from $6,000 for a consolidated election with county assistance on June 5, 2018, to $28,800 for a mail-in ballot election run by the city on April 10, 2018.

Of the more than a dozen members of the public who spoke Sept. 25, the majority urged the council members to follow their established protocol.

Karen Waite, who is in line to be appointed to the council as the next runner-up from the 2016 election, said that her experience and the fact that she was thoroughly vetted in last year’s campaign should encourage the council to follow their current protocol.

“I actually am the most qualified to fill this vacancy,” Waite added.

Former councilman Ed Skytt urged the council, as he did Sept. 11, to follow its established protocol to fill the current vacancy and then go back and adjust it as desired.

“You don’t change it [protocol] in the middle of the situation,” Skytt said.

Duus also spoke and presented a petition signed by 241 Solvang residents asking the council to follow their established protocol and appoint Waite to the position.

Of the 4,323 votes cast to elect two people in November 2016, Councilman Ryan Toussaint received 1,318 (30.5 percent); Duus, 1,273 (29.5 percent); and Waite, 1,268 (29.3 percent) — five votes fewer than Duus. Brian Baca finished fourth by receiving 452 votes, or 10.5 percent of the total.

People who opposed following the current protocol questioned the validity of the protocol itself and said the council should take applications to find the best person for the job, rather than a person predetermined more than 10 months ago.

Councilman Neill Zimmerman, who had been greatly in favor of a special election at the Sept. 11 meeting, restated his dislike of the current protocol but pulled back on his desire for a costly special election.

“I’ll stand by saying it’s a horrible policy,” he said.

Zimmerman said that he was leaning toward appointment through application, possibly accepting applications only from members of current city boards and commissions.

A vote to follow the protocol was deadlocked with Councilwoman Joanie Jamieson and Mayor Jim Richardson in favor and Zimmerman and Toussaint dissenting.

The option to accept applications from the public at large was deadlocked with only Toussaint approving and Richardson, Jamieson and Zimmerman dissenting.

After the council failed to reach a decision by majority, Richardson said he would call special meetings until a decision was reached.

A number of people in the audience voiced their displeasure with the council’s lack of action.

“You guys aren’t doing justice to the city,” Duus said emphatically before leaving the council chamber.

“People are looking to the city of Solvang for leadership. Mr. Toussaint, Mr. Zimmerman are not showing leadership. They have their own personal agendas. They are putting the entire city of Solvang in peril,” Skytt stated.

Before moving on to other business, Richardson asked Toussaint whether he would be opposed to following the protocol if the roles had been reversed.

“If Ryan was in third place, I wonder what his position would be?” Richardson asked.

“I know protocol would have been changed if I were in that position,” Toussaint replied.

By law, if the council doesn’t reach a majority decision on one of the options within 60 days from the time Duus resigned, the issue must go to a special election.

The post Solvang City Council still deadlocked on vacancy appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

The city of Solvang is currently facing a situation very similar to one that occurred over 8 years ago.  The situation was a vacancy on the City Council.  It becomes the council’s responsibility to fill a vacancy by one of two methods: appointment or special election.  The situation of a vacancy in 2008 occurred because of the election of a permanent mayor’s position and the elimination of a council position.  The council seat of the individual who won the mayoral position became vacant upon the certification of the election and had to be filled by the newly seated council by appointment.  This became very contentious with the council being deadlocked for a number of regular and specially noticed meetings.  It nearly resulted in an expensive special election that would have left a split council in place for a number of months.  The deadlock was broken when cooler heads finally prevailed and the appointed seat was given to the next runner up in the election, which had lost by a slim margin of 33 votes.

The new council later took up this issue, discussed and debated it in public forum with full transparency, and upheld the democratic process afforded to the council by the “people of Solvang.”  This policy or protocol agreed upon said that if a vacancy were to occur, the council should automatically look back to the last election and offer appointment to the runner up in that election.  While policy or protocol is not law, it is meant to give direction to a future council that finds itself in a similar situation.

On August 28, 2017, a vacancy occurred on the council due to a resignation of a council member.  The last election was held in November 2016, less than a year before.  With two seats up for election, there were four candidates running. The top three candidates finished with a 50 vote, 1.16%, spread between the top vote getter and the runner up.  The people gave mandate to no one.  They stated they would be collectively satisfied with any combination of 2 out of the 3 candidates.

The current council is deadlocked between following protocol and appointing the runner up from the past election, accepting resumes and appointing from various interested applicants, or calling for a special election.  The answer to this debacle is clear.  The automatic appointment of runner-up, Karen Waite, must be made.  If the 2009 protocol is ignored, there will be 1,268 voters who will feel cheated.  This action is very unfair to those who voted in good faith.  A council must never change policies in midstream for political reasons.

Do not listen to the argument that handpicked applicants will be better choices.  How can one really make an informed decision based upon a resume and a 5 minute statement?  Nor is an expensive special election that will take many months to complete.  A delay such as this can lead the council to be deadlocked on other issues that can affect the vital operations of the city and negatively impact the morale of the city’s staff.  This is also an unnecessary expenditure of the “People’s money.”  The money would be much better spent for other purposes that would be of greater benefit to all residents.

Insist that your elected officials of Solvang follow protocol and automatically appoint Karen Waite to the Solvang City Council!  It is the right way and the fair way.

The post Op-Ed: Former Solvang Councilman weighs in on options to fill his vacated seat appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

A decision on filling the vacant Solvang City Council seat has been postponed after the remaining four council members deadlocked, with 2-2 votes, on all three options available to them.

Councilman Hans Duus announced his resignation at the start of the council’s Aug. 28 meeting after saying he and his wife, Carla, had signed paperwork to lease a condo in Santa Maria.

The council was advised on the options available to them to fill the vacancy at the Sept. 11 meeting and heard numerous opinions from the public.

City Manager Brad Vidro explained that the options included appointing the person who got the next highest number of votes in the 2016 election, which is the council’s previously approved protocol; taking applications for an appointment; or holding a special election, which is typically an expensive alternative.

Former Councilman Ed Skytt noted at the meeting that a similar situation happened in 2008 when Mayor Jim Richardson was elected to his first mayoral term and his council seat became vacant.

“At that time there was a very contentious discussion on the issue of filling the vacancy created … after several votes the matter was settled by a vote of 3 to 1 to offer the position to the first runner-up in the general election. It was at this time the city established the standard that in the future if a similar situation arose that we would offer the position to the first runner-up. If that individual declined the position, then and only then, would the council accept applications from the public at large,” Skytt wrote.

“We aren’t supposed to change the protocols every time something comes up that we don’t like,” Skytt told the council.

People against following the current protocol argued that the seat should be filled through what they considered a more democratic and transparent process.

“Repealing the current protocol in favor of a more democratic and transparent selection process will expand the pool of candidates and improve the likelihood of selecting the best candidate with the strongest professional expertise, experience and temperament,” wrote Solvang resident Chris Djernaes.

Councilman Neill Zimmerman said this was a horrible policy and opposed the current protocol in favor of a special election.

A vote to follow the protocol was deadlocked with Councilwoman Joanie Jamieson and Richardson in favor and Zimmerman and Councilman Ryan Toussaint dissenting.

The option to accept applications was deadlocked with Jamieson and Toussaint approving and Richardson and Zimmerman dissenting.

“This is not an appointed seat. This is an elected position,” Zimmerman said.

The motion to call a special election also failed with Toussaint and Zimmerman approving and Jamieson and Richardson dissenting. The costs of holding a special election are projected to be between $20,000 and $30,000, according to Vidro.

Because of the lack of a decision, the item was postponed to the next council meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, at City Hall.

By law, if the council doesn’t reach a majority decision on one of the options within 60 days from the time Duus resigned, the issue must go to a special election.

What do you think the Solvang City Council should do to fill the vacancy left by Hans Duus? Take our survey here to voice your opinion or visit www.santaynezvalleystar.com and scroll to the bottom of the homepage. 

The post Solvang City Council deadlocks on vacancy appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Kris Klibo was, and is still in the memory of Valley old-timers, a legend. This is my recollection of the man.

Kris was born a Jensen but somewhere along the way he picked up the surname Klibo. There are stories about where it came from, but as anyone who knew Kris realizes, he always had a good yarn to spin. Yes, I have heard the Tombstone story. Do I believe it is the gospel truth? Knowing Kris as I did, while it seems plausible, I always must have a slight bit of doubt since it could be just another good story.

My dad, N. Peter Duus, first met Kris in the gold fields of Nevada in the mid 1930s. They were working claims outside of Battle Mountain, Copper Canyon, I believe, and later in Carlin.

Kris was a big kid, full of energy, ideas and fun. According to Dad he was a “likeable cuss,” but it was a full-time job keeping him out of trouble.

Dad was the camp doctor, since he had spent a year in medical school before the Depression and polio forced him out of school and into work. Seems that Kris had cut his leg badly enough to need a few stitches, and he was brought to the cabin where Dad had needle and thread.

There were several other men helping tend to Kris. Dad called for a bottle of whiskey, took a long pull, put the cork back in and got ready for the procedure. Kris asked, “Aren’t you going to use the whiskey as a disinfectant?” Dad replied, “No, that would be a waste of good whiskey. I just wanted to steady my hand so you will have a nice-looking scar. Now sit still and don’t wiggle while I sew.” He handed Kris a stick to chomp down on.

After the gold fields, Kris went to work in the shipyards at Long Beach during the war. This is where he became very proficient in welding, blacksmithing and machine work. At the end of the war Kris came to Solvang, most likely with a few stops in between.

He worked for Aage Block, the blacksmith in Solvang. Aage’s shop was on the southeast corner of Atterdag and Mission Drive or Highway 150 (now known as Highway 246), across Atterdag from the medical clinic and Dania building, just west of C.V. Nielsen’s Lumber Yard and north of the creamery and laundry. If you can’t figure out where this was, you probably haven’t been around long enough to care anyway.

A few years later he opened his own shop in Buellton on Central Avenue just north of the Lompoc Highway. First he poured the slab, leaving a dirt pit where the forge and anvil would be located. He needed the slab so he could lay out and fabricate all the beams and trusses for his new facility. This building still stands nearly 70 years later, built on the site by Kris. It should be dedicated as an historical landmark of Buellton.

Kris’s blacksmith shop was the “go-to place” for farmers, ranchers, contractors and anyone needing anything made, repaired or otherwise constructed out of metal.

Beam knives were a thriving business keeping the 50-pound Little Giant Trip Hammers, on the line drive, humming during harvest. Gates, railings, fire screens, kiln racks, trusses and beams, hay wagons — you name it, Kris made it. He could make anything.

He could out-engineer most professionals with his genius, knowledge of metals and, most importantly, common sense. He would call blueprints “professional suggestions and plans” and rarely spent too much time studying them. Once after he had received a set of engineering specifications, including detailed welding instructions, he said, “This is about as ludicrous as a hospital administrator telling the surgeon which scalpel to use and where to cut.”

Central Avenue soon became the industrial center of Buellton. It was a hub of activity with steel deliveries from Santa Maria being made several times a week, welding gas deliveries, contractors picking up items he’d fabricated for their jobs, farm equipment in various states of repair taking up space on the street and adjacent yard, and a constant flow of customers and friends.

In June 1968 after my sophomore year in high school, where I had taken ag mechanics classes and had learned to weld, I asked Kris for a summer job so I could continue learning welding and metal working and avoid another summer cleaning tables or washing dishes in a Solvang restaurant.

Kris told me to talk to Walter Kristensen first, because I could learn a lot more from him, but if he didn’t want me I could come back and work for Kris. I asked Walter, was hired and started my career in lighting fabrication. I stayed with Walt and Old World Metal Craft for more than 14 years until I ventured off on my own.

I frequently visited Kris to buy materials or gasses, borrow or use equipment, ask questions and get advice (which was always dispensed liberally, even if I didn’t ask).

I watched sales people be summarily dismissed with a look of disbelief as they tucked tail and slunk out the door. I heard blow by blow of the trials and tribulations of the Fire Department inspection that eventually involved a Santa Barbara County supervisor.

Kris had a bucket of oil next to his forge, which he used to harden tool steel. During an inspection, the fire inspector asked if the oil ever caught fire. Kris said yes. The inspector then asked where his fire extinguisher was. Kris picked up a metal disk a bit larger than the bucket and deftly slid it over the bucket and explained, “If you take the oxygen away from a fire, it goes out. This is very basic knowledge of fire. Are you not taught that at your academy?”

Eventually the fire inspector gave up and left, after Kris promised to tidy up a bit. Kris’ parting comment to the inspector as he headed to the door was, “Just remember, iron does not burn easily and that is what is in this building.”

One evening Kris and his wife Olga were visiting my aunt and uncle, Elna and Carl Larsen. The conversation was lively and the hour was getting late. Olga told Kris, “It’s getting late. I think we should be going so these folks can go to bed.”

Kris replied, “I have been trying to leave for the past hour, but they won’t quit listening!”

After Buellton was incorporated as a city, there was a push to clean up the “downtown” area, and the blacksmith shop came under fire again. There was a lot of scrap metal — or in Kris’ eye, good, usable (someday) material. There was even wrought iron from the old Alisal Red Bridge that had been salvaged decades before.

The city declared the shop and yard a public nuisance and stated so by letter. By now Kris was an old man. He had battled cancer and heart conditions. He was getting tired. He still opened the shop in the morning but spent most days sitting in his chair visiting with the constant stream of friends who stopped by.

This declaration by the city hurt him. He felt he had always been a contributor to the betterment of the city, its residents, the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond, through the work he did, the money he had generated and pumped into the local economy and the direct benefit of sales tax, a portion of which went straight into city coffers. But no, in the city’s eyes he was a nuisance.

In 2004 Kris called me and declared that he wanted me to have his anvil, but that he was not done with it yet. I told him that was fine. I would happily have it when he no longer needed it, which I hoped was still years away.

I would visit Kris at his home during his last year. I relished his stories, his quips, his unique sense of humor. He always wanted to know about the work I was doing, often in minute detail. He would sketch and dispense advice. At the end of each visit he would always say he was not ready yet.

In October 2005, Kris called and said, “It’s time. Come get the anvil.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. He said yes, and asked if I remembered the combination to the lock on the shop door. “Deck of cards” was my response. “Ill come by tomorrow.” He said that would be just fine.

The next morning I went to see Kris first to let him know I was picking up the anvil and he told me again that it was time. I went to the shop, opened the door and was taken aback by the quiet, the lack of activity. This place was familiar, but the soul was missing.

Kris passed away less than a month later, but his legend lives on. His anvil is now in my shop. His spirit is with it, cluttering the shop at night, I believe.

A word or phrase between those of us who knew him brings out the stories and times we relished. The Blacksmith of Buellton lives on in us, and we are grateful for having known him.

The post Buellton blacksmith lives in memory, legend appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Kris Kilbo was, and is still in the memory of Valley old-timers, a legend. This is my recollection of the man.

Kris was born a Jensen but somewhere along the way he picked up the surname Kilbo. There are stories about where it came from, but as anyone who knew Kris realizes, he always had a good yarn to spin. Yes, I have heard the Tombstone story. Do I believe it is the gospel truth? Knowing Kris as I did, while it seems plausible, I always must have a slight bit of doubt since it could be just another good story.

My dad, N. Peter Duus, first met Kris in the gold fields of Nevada in the mid 1930s. They were working claims outside of Battle Mountain, Copper Canyon, I believe, and later in Carlin.

Kris was a big kid, full of energy, ideas and fun. According to Dad he was a “likeable cuss,” but it was a full-time job keeping him out of trouble.

Dad was the camp doctor, since he had spent a year in medical school before the Depression and polio forced him out of school and into work. Seems that Kris had cut his leg badly enough to need a few stitches, and he was brought to the cabin where Dad had needle and thread.

There were several other men helping tend to Kris. Dad called for a bottle of whiskey, took a long pull, put the cork back in and got ready for the procedure. Kris asked, “Aren’t you going to use the whiskey as a disinfectant?” Dad replied, “No, that would be a waste of good whiskey. I just wanted to steady my hand so you will have a nice-looking scar. Now sit still and don’t wiggle while I sew.” He handed Kris a stick to chomp down on.

After the gold fields, Kris went to work in the shipyards at Long Beach during the war. This is where he became very proficient in welding, blacksmithing and machine work. At the end of the war Kris came to Solvang, most likely with a few stops in between.

He worked for Aage Block, the blacksmith in Solvang. Aage’s shop was on the southeast corner of Atterdag and Mission Drive or Highway 150 (now known as Highway 246), across Atterdag from the medical clinic and Dania building, just west of C.V. Nielsen’s Lumber Yard and north of the creamery and laundry. If you can’t figure out where this was, you probably haven’t been around long enough to care anyway.

A few years later he opened his own shop in Buellton on Central Avenue just north of the Lompoc Highway. First he poured the slab, leaving a dirt pit where the forge and anvil would be located. He needed the slab so he could lay out and fabricate all the beams and trusses for his new facility. This building still stands nearly 70 years later, built on the site by Kris. It should be dedicated as an historical landmark of Buellton.

Kris’s blacksmith shop was the “go-to place” for farmers, ranchers, contractors and anyone needing anything made, repaired or otherwise constructed out of metal.

Beam knives were a thriving business keeping the 50-pound Little Giant Trip Hammers, on the line drive, humming during harvest. Gates, railings, fire screens, kiln racks, trusses and beams, hay wagons — you name it, Kris made it. He could make anything.

He could out-engineer most professionals with his genius, knowledge of metals and, most importantly, common sense. He would call blueprints “professional suggestions and plans” and rarely spent too much time studying them. Once after he had received a set of engineering specifications, including detailed welding instructions, he said, “This is about as ludicrous as a hospital administrator telling the surgeon which scalpel to use and where to cut.”

Central Avenue soon became the industrial center of Buellton. It was a hub of activity with steel deliveries from Santa Maria being made several times a week, welding gas deliveries, contractors picking up items he’d fabricated for their jobs, farm equipment in various states of repair taking up space on the street and adjacent yard, and a constant flow of customers and friends.

In June 1968 after my sophomore year in high school, where I had taken ag mechanics classes and had learned to weld, I asked Kris for a summer job so I could continue learning welding and metal working and avoid another summer cleaning tables or washing dishes in a Solvang restaurant.

Kris told me to talk to Walter Kristensen first, because I could learn a lot more from him, but if he didn’t want me I could come back and work for Kris. I asked Walter, was hired and started my career in lighting fabrication. I stayed with Walt and Old World Metal Craft for more than 14 years until I ventured off on my own.

I frequently visited Kris to buy materials or gasses, borrow or use equipment, ask questions and get advice (which was always dispensed liberally, even if I didn’t ask).

I watched sales people be summarily dismissed with a look of disbelief as they tucked tail and slunk out the door. I heard blow by blow of the trials and tribulations of the Fire Department inspection that eventually involved a Santa Barbara County supervisor.

Kris had a bucket of oil next to his forge, which he used to harden tool steel. During an inspection, the fire inspector asked if the oil ever caught fire. Kris said yes. The inspector then asked where his fire extinguisher was. Kris picked up a metal disk a bit larger than the bucket and deftly slid it over the bucket and explained, “If you take the oxygen away from a fire, it goes out. This is very basic knowledge of fire. Are you not taught that at your academy?”

Eventually the fire inspector gave up and left, after Kris promised to tidy up a bit. Kris’ parting comment to the inspector as he headed to the door was, “Just remember, iron does not burn easily and that is what is in this building.”

One evening Kris and his wife Olga were visiting my aunt and uncle, Elna and Carl Larsen. The conversation was lively and the hour was getting late. Olga told Kris, “It’s getting late. I think we should be going so these folks can go to bed.”

Kris replied, “I have been trying to leave for the past hour, but they won’t quit listening!”

After Buellton was incorporated as a city, there was a push to clean up the “downtown” area, and the blacksmith shop came under fire again. There was a lot of scrap metal — or in Kris’ eye, good, usable (someday) material. There was even wrought iron from the old Alisal Red Bridge that had been salvaged decades before.

The city declared the shop and yard a public nuisance and stated so by letter. By now Kris was an old man. He had battled cancer and heart conditions. He was getting tired. He still opened the shop in the morning but spent most days sitting in his chair visiting with the constant stream of friends who stopped by.

This declaration by the city hurt him. He felt he had always been a contributor to the betterment of the city, its residents, the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond, through the work he did, the money he had generated and pumped into the local economy and the direct benefit of sales tax, a portion of which went straight into city coffers. But no, in the city’s eyes he was a nuisance.

In 2004 Kris called me and declared that he wanted me to have his anvil, but that he was not done with it yet. I told him that was fine. I would happily have it when he no longer needed it, which I hoped was still years away.

I would visit Kris at his home during his last year. I relished his stories, his quips, his unique sense of humor. He always wanted to know about the work I was doing, often in minute detail. He would sketch and dispense advice. At the end of each visit he would always say he was not ready yet.

In October 2005, Kris called and said, “It’s time. Come get the anvil.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. He said yes, and asked if I remembered the combination to the lock on the shop door. “Deck of cards” was my response. “Ill come by tomorrow.” He said that would be just fine.

The next morning I went to see Kris first to let him know I was picking up the anvil and he told me again that it was time. I went to the shop, opened the door and was taken aback by the quiet, the lack of activity. This place was familiar, but the soul was missing.

Kris passed away less than a month later, but his legend lives on. His anvil is now in my shop. His spirit is with it, cluttering the shop at night, I believe.

A word or phrase between those of us who knew him brings out the stories and times we relished. The Blacksmith of Buellton lives on in us, and we are grateful for having known him.

The post Buellton blacksmith lives in memory, legend appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Solvang City Council candidate Ryan Toussaint responded to requests to speak about his views on local issues. Here are his answers to questions from SYV Star staff presented to all the candidates. He is running for one of two open seats on the council and up against three other Solvang residents Karen Waite, Brian Baca and Hans Duus (incumbent). The November election will be held on November 8.

What are your qualifications for the position of City Council member:

Locally born and raised, I’ve owned and operated an IT business in the valley for the last 10 years. I love the people and hospitality of this small, yet mighty town.

My passion for business and technology started in high school. My studies at UCSB qualified me as a Microsoft Systems Engineer and I started my own business at age 19. I’ve been serving the people of this valley for a decade as most of my customers are small and medium size businesses.

I offer a new, innovative perspective to ongoing issues the council has been facing over the years. I’m committed to sound financial planning and accountability to avoid excess spending, using common sense and best business practices.

What do you consider to be the primary focus of your campaign?

Stabilize water rates by exploring partnership potential with water and sewer agencies.

Reduce Mission Drive congestion

Upgrading the library with a technology center

Reduce the daunting effect Solvang citizens encounter when dealing with city departments such as the building department and others.

I am answering the City Council’s call for new blood with fresh ideas and a new outlook.

Are there any budget categories in which you would like to see city spending increased, decreased or eliminated? How would you prioritize the city’s spending and why?

The weight of rising expenses is a heavy burden on all the citizens of Solvang. While the tourism is great, the City needs to continue to diversify its revenue streams.

The City needs to better balance the importance of those who come for a quick visit and an overnight good time, to those who invest their major savings in property and home within Solvang City.

I would focus more on making it just as comfortable and attractive for the home and property owners of Solvang City as what seems to be implied just for tourists.

If new resources were available, what one area of city services would you feel most need additional resources?

While tourism needs to be a priority, the city needs to examine revenues other than tourism and diversify more towards core businesses that could generate income outside the realm of knick-knacks and overnight stays. This will help increase revenues and spread cost to support, maintain and upgrade our current infrastructure without additional cost to the residents or businesses.

The post Ryan Toussaint on his candidacy for Solvang City Council appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.