By Jorge Casuso
July 24, 2009 – In a surprise move, Santa Monica Rent Control Board Chair Joel Koury announced Thursday he would resign from his post next month, saying his new job at the Federal Defender’s Office left him little free time.
Koury, who has been on the board for nearly six years, is known for his meticulous preparation and even-handed approach on an elected post that pays no salary, Rent Board officials said.
Koury caught his colleagues and staff by surprise when he read his resignation letter at Thursday’s Rent Board meeting. He said his new job “supervising investigations in multiple states and countries” and volunteering on the rent board left him little time to spend with his family.
“Whenever I set my sights on a task, I demand a 100 percent effort,” Koury wrote in the resignation letter. “In preparing for board meetings, I read every single piece of paper and as staff can attest, I routinely call and ask for additional materials or research and even, when appropriate, conduct my own research.
“The demands of my new job and the continuing demands of this board have come at a price, that price is time away from my family,” said Koury, who previously worked for the LA County Public Defender’s Office. “There is nothing more precious for me than my family.”
Koury’s professionalism and fairness will be missed, said Rent Board Administrator Tracy Condon.
“He was an excellent commissioner,” Condon said. “He was very even-handed and listened to both sides and made well-informed decisions. He was a real stabilizing force and real committed.”
Koury, who was reelected to a second four-year term last November, will leave the post on the five-member board effective August 5.
The board will declare the vacancy at its August 6 meeting and accept letters of interest or applications from interested persons for one month, Condon said.
A new member, who will serve until the November 2010 municipal election, will be chosen at a special board meeting in early September, Condon said.
Joel Koury, who is a member of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), won the last race for two rent board seats in a landslide with 22,601 votes.
Robert Kronovet, the first SMRR opponent to win a seat in the board's 30-year history, finished second with 15,186 votes, 62 votes ahead of Chris Braun, who had the backing of the powerful tenants group.
Braun is considered by Rent Board insiders as the top choice to replace Koury.
