Castaic Town Council adds new member
Bob Lewis sworn in again to fill Jim Idleman’s seat
The Castaic Area Town Council welcomed a familiar face back to its board Wednesday, officials said.
Bob Lewis, a previous Castaic Area Town Council member, was sworn in again at Wednesday’s regular meeting. Lewis was appointed to fill Jim Idleman’s seat on the council. Idleman resigned June 1 via email.
Lewis, who is retired after a career in the motion picture industry, said the learning curve will be very short after years of knowing the council’s inner workings.
“I’m very glad to be able to be part of the council and be of service any way I can to the council and community,” Lewis said.
He was the only person to submit his name for the vacant seat, which is not unusual when there’s a vacancy on the council, said Jessica Chambers, the Town Council’s president.
Lewis will serve out the rest of Idleman’s term, which was set to expire in December, according to previous Signal reporting.
He was previously on the town council beginning in 2001, and left when his term was up in 2008, according to his statement submitted to the town council.
Board member Lloyd Carder worked with Lewis during Lewis’ previous term, having been elected alongside him in 2000.
Lewis’ help gave the Town Council more activities to work on in promoting businesses in Castaic, and made the town more widely recognized, he added.
“That council was very, very active,” Carder said. “I thought the changes we made on the council would move right to cityhood.”
At the time, the town council developed a master plan to accomplish tasks while working with Los Angeles County and the Castaic Area Community Standards District, “rather than (a) random type of planning,” he said.
Lewis will be sworn in by Rosalind Wayman, field deputy to Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, according to the meeting agenda.
Idleman’s resignation came after The Signal reported on several absences from meetings by Idleman without prior formal notification to the Town Council.
There are 10 elected representatives within Castaic who serve the council. The Town Council advises the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and various departments across the county “regarding decisions that impact the Castaic community,” according to their website.