The Chula Vista City Council appointed Steven Miesen to a vacant council seat Jan. 13.
But Miesen wasn’t the top pick of any of the four council members.
Nor was he their second pick.
Miesen’s name wasn’t even mentioned for the vacancy on the council’s first day of deliberations.
Never the quitter, Miesen showed up on the second day of deliberations.
“I just thought let’s see what happens,” Miesen said about showing up.
The mayor opened the second day of deliberations suggesting Miesen for appointment.
But when it came time to vote, the City Council stalemated, not once but twice.
“It was rather unnerving,” Miesen, 63, said about the multiple impasse.
Then in a last ditch effort to save taxpayers from paying for a costly special election, the City Council unanimously appointed Miesen to fill the vacancy.
“I like to call myself the $1.2 million compromise,” he said about his appointment that avoids the cost of a special election.
Mayor Mary Casillas Salas said Miesen is no compromise, but instead is the right man for the job.
“In my mind, he wasn’t a compromise because he possess the qualifications and the skills that we need to have on the council.
Born in Clarkson, Wash., to German parents, Miesen came to Chula Vista 14-years ago when he got a job as a garbologist, a career that he was just thrown into.
He studied journalism at Sacramento State University, with aspirations of being a government reporter. But life got in the way, and he is now the division manager for Republic Services.
His work with Republic Services has come under scrutiny as Councilwoman Pat Aguilar and Councilman John McCann questioned whether he possessed a conflict of interest.
“That remains to be seen,” Casillas Salas said about any potential conflict of interest. “But at the first brush of it, there didn’t seem to be a conflict of interest.”
Miesen said he consulted with the city attorney and his own counsel before applying for the position. He said the city attorney said the way the contract is set up, he only has a remote conflict of interest.
“I don’t own it, I’m just an employee of it,” he said of Republic Services.
The day after Miesen’s appointment, he resigned from his presidency from the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce. He said he resigned to avoid any potential conflict.
Miesen’s priorities include bringing more “shovel ready” projects to Chula Vista.
“My biggest goal is to promote the city more, which should bring more businesses and jobs,” he said.
He said before his term is up he would like to help bring a big named hotel to Chula Vista, like a Marriott or a Hilton.
He also said he would like to revisit the idea of establishing a new and efficient tourism and marketing district.
Miesen said a two-year term is ideal for him.
“I’ve never been in a place very long,” he said. “My average tenure is about three years.”
He said, as a councilman, he has no other agenda than to serve the citizens of Chula Vista.
“I am completely non-partisan,” he said.
In his spare time, Miesen said he enjoys skiing, walking and working in the garden.
