The Valley Chronicle - Robert Davis, Jr. resigns from Measure U Overs

Resignation follows appointment to school board and concerns over possible conflicts

[caption id="attachment_6548" align="alignright" width="230"] Photo by Melissa Diaz Hernandez/The Valley Chronicle
Davis at the Feb 14. Hemet City Council meeting interviewing for the Measure U Citizen Oversight Committee.[/caption] ■ Melissa Diaz Hernandez / Editor The resignation of Robert Davis, Jr. from the Measure U Citizen Oversight Committee was announced toward the end of the Sept. 26 Hemet City Council meeting. The reason for the resignation is due to a potential conflict with his appointment to the Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) Governing Board seat left by Trustee Joe Wojcik, who submitted his resignation in August. The Valley Chronicle reported Aug. 21 that “Wojcik’s resignation was tendered Aug. 3 due to his move outside the district boundaries.” The Measure U Citizen Oversight Committee is charged with overseeing how money generated by the 1 percent city sales tax is spent. The tax, passed by voters last November, is expected to generate $10 million annually. The city of Hemet recently placed an advertisement in the Riverside Press Enterprise that it is “seeking qualified applications for an unscheduled vacancy on the vacant Measure U Citizen Oversight Committee” position. The advertisement states, “The Citizen Oversight Committee is established to independently review and advise upon the city’s proposed expenditures of Measure U funds as well as the actual expenditure of Measure U funds and review of the annual audit conducted of Measure U funds as required by the Ordinance.” Applications are due by Monday, Oct. 9, to Sarah McComas, City Clerk, 445 E. Florida Ave., Hemet, or one can apply online at www.cityofhemet.org. The Valley Chronicle sent an email dated Sept. 27 asking Davis about the following: Do you have a comment regarding your resignation? Also when interviewed for the trustee position, did the board ask you specifically about your ties to Wojcik? Davis declined to comment. A school board member stated in an email response asking if anyone on the HUSD board asked Davis about his ties to Wojcik responded with, “Since he is a partner in Joe’s law firm, I assumed the board members knew he had ties with him.” Wojcik and Davis are partners in Davis Wojcik Duarte, a Professional Law Corporation. They have offices in Temecula and Hemet. Board members Eugene Hikel and Vic Scavarda voted against Davis’ provisional appointment to the HUSD Governing Board seat, which becomes final after 30 days unless there are citizen objections. [caption id="attachment_6550" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Photo courtesy of Hemet Unified School District
Robert Davis, Jr. (left), who was sworn in by Schools Superintendent Christi Barrett (right), above, resigned from the Measure U Citizen Oversight Committee following his appointment to the Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) Governing Board.[/caption]