Del Mar council recommends outgoing Del Mar Mayor Lee Haydu for fairgrounds board seat

By Kristina Houck

Although Del Mar Mayor Lee Haydu may be leaving the dais in December, she could soon be sitting in a new administrative seat.

The Del Mar City Council on Sept. 2 recommended Haydu to serve on the board of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which runs the state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds.

“Mayor Haydu possesses the background, qualifications, and needed insight to represent the local communities and the broader San Diego region as a whole,” said Deputy Mayor Al Corti on behalf of the council in a letter the council agreed to send to Sacramento.

“As a city council member since 2010, and a resident of Del Mar for 28 years, Mayor Haydu has been actively involved in city and regional issues. She understands the importance of effectively managing this important regional asset.”

Before the unanimous vote, Councilman Terry Sinnott pulled the item from the consent calendar, questioning whether the council should recommend others in addition to Haydu.

“I think Lee’s name is absolutely one that we should forward on, but I want to make sure that if the council has an opportunity to make any other suggestions, we do it at this time,” he said.

Noting that Del Mar recommended two candidates last year, Councilman Don Mosier disagreed.

“This is an important time to support one candidate, not a bunch of candidates,” he said.

In 2013, he and former Councilman Richard Earnest applied to fill a vacant seat on the governor-appointed board of directors. In his case, Mosier said he learned he had a “conflict of interest” because he was an elected official in Del Mar.

“So I think it’s important to get behind one candidate at a time. With the support that Lee has gotten from our elected officials and from the fair board — that’s an unusual circumstance.”

Haydu, along with Councilman Don Mosier, serves as a council liaison to the 22nd District Agricultural Association Community Relations Committee. Besides the letter of support from her fellow council members, she has also obtained support from State Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Sen. Marty Block (D-San Diego).