Saturday, May 29, 2010	Post #15

Ben Benoit, son of former state senator and current Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit, was appointed May 26, 2010 to a vacant City of Wildomar planning commission seat. The relatively recent member of the Wildomar community was selected over long time resident and community supporter George Taylor. The council voted 4-1 to accept the appointment. The dissenting vote was cast by council member Sheryl Ade.

Benoit was nominated by council member Scott Farnam. During nomination discussions council member Ade lobbied for Taylor to be appointed to the seat. Ade contends the appointment of Benoit may be self-serving on the part of Farnam. Farnam at one point last year mounted a challenge to Ade's appointee to the commission, Gary Andre. That challenge met with community resistance and was abandoned by Farnam.

The discussion brought to light the current residency situation of Farnam. Council members are required to be a resident of the community they serve. Public records indicate that Farnam's wife filed for divorce in January of this year. Farnam recently announced the relocation of his business from Lake Elsinore to the community of Mentone, an area east of Redlands where Farnam once lived. The address listed for his new business location is a residential property, a property listed as the address for multiple businesses that the Farnam family has operated. Farnam maintains he still resides in Wildomar.

As reported by Michael J. Williams in the Californian: Click Here