5A – Appoint Board and Commission Members

Background

The City has several board and commission positions available. Per the City’s Board’s Application and Recruitment Policy, Council must appoint (or reappoint) members on the third Monday in December. The policy further states that all individuals seeking appointment or reappointment must submit an application.

The City aims to create boards composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds, opinions, and interests, as well as residents who represent different geographic, age and economic segments of the City. The City strives to appoint members to boards that have the interest and/or background in the board position the applicant is seeking, and Council also strives to create boards with a balance of experienced and new members. A list of desirable qualifications for each board is listed in the City’s policy.

Rules

1. There are no limits to how many boards an individual can serve on, except that only one member of the Zoning Board of Appeals can serve on the Planning Commission.
2. City Ordinance No. 432 states that an individual must be a registered voter in order to serve on a City Board. However, the following exceptions apply:
   1. Up to two PC members can be registered voters of another municipality. The City currently has one non-registered voter on the PC and can have up to one more. However, the City is not required to appoint non-residents to the PC.
      1. The PC members should be of different professional backgrounds and represent different occupations.
      2. Further, State law states that the PC shall be representative of important segments of the community, such as the economic, governmental, educational, and social development of the local unit of government, in accordance with the major interests of the local unit of government, such as agriculture, natural resources, recreation, education, public health, government, transportation, industry, housing, and commerce.
      3. State law also states that PC membership shall be representative of the entire territory of the local unit of government to the extent practicable.
   2. For the DDA, a majority of the members must have an interest in a property in the downtown district, or must be officers, members, trustees, principals, or employees of a legal entity in the downtown district. Currently all members have an interest in a downtown property.
   3. For the Harbor Commission, it shall consist of individuals representing different groups using or bordering the harbor insofar as possible. However, this is within Council’s discretion.
   4. For Board of Review, all members must be property owners.1

5A – Appoint Board and Commission Members

Process

Appointments to the Downtown Development Authority/Principal Shopping District and the Planning Commission are made by Mayoral nomination and confirmed by a majority vote of the City Council. All other board members are appointed by City Council and do not require nomination from the Mayor.

I recommend Council focus on one board at a time and that the Mayor/Council motion to nominate one individual at a time. If a motion does not receive a second, then another motion should be made to appoint another individual. An affirmative vote of three (3) Council members is required for an individual to be appointed to a board. Public comment should be taken before the start of this process.

Boards & Commissions Applications

Many individuals applied for more than one board or commission. In parenthesis, I’ve indicated certain relevant facts, such as if an individual is a non-voter, ineligible for a particular board, and if they are a current board member. Some current members and new members may have served previously on the same board or other boards, but the number of terms indicated is how many consecutive terms an individual most recently have served on that particular board.

Planning Commission – 3 Year Term – Mayor appoints, Council confirms
-Three open positions
-Current PC members professional backgrounds include: architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, education, technology, business.

• Warner Brown
• Bob Buckner
• Robert Denten
• Chip Everest
• Sofia Franciscus (non-voter)
• Carol Gargaro
• Melissa Georges
• Garon Gopigian (non-voter)
• Scott Heston
• Bing Howenstein
• Mike Kilbourn (non-voter)
• Allison Larson
• Mike Naturkas (non-voter)
• Mark Rondel
• Danny Rotert
• Kenny Stewart
• Debbie Taggart
• Bob Thoma (current member, served 1 term)
• Rhonda Troszak
• Ron Turner
• Tom Varner (non-voter)2

5A – Appoint Board and Commission Members

Zoning Board of Appeals – 3 Year Term – Council appoints and approves -Three open positions (1 is an alternate)

• Matt Bugera
• Sofia Franciscus (non-voter, ineligible)
• Carol Gargaro
• Melissa Georges
• Bing Howenstein
• Janie Jenkins
• Kevin Larson (non-voter, ineligible)
• Danny Rotert
• Susan Stewart (current member, served almost 1 term)
• Bob Thoma (current member, served 1 term)
• Rhonda Troszak
• Ron TurnerParks Board – 2 Year Term – Council appoints and approves -Three open positions

• Neil Ahrens (non-voter, ineligible)
• Matt Bugera
• Bob Buckner
• Cindy Demerino
• Robert Denten
• Karen Donnely (current member, served 1 term)
• Carol Gargaro
• Patrick Kenney (non-voter, ineligible)
• Sarah MacLean (current member, served about 1 1⁄2 terms)
• Nancy Nesterowich
• Danny Rotert
• Dick Swarthout (current member, served 1 term)
• Bob ThomaTree Advisory Board – 3 Year Term – Council appoints and approves -Two open positions

• Matt Bugera
• Carol Gargaro
• Tresa Johnson (current member, served 1 term)
• Danny Rotert
• Bob Thoma
• Carole Winnard (current member, served less than 1/3 of a term)3

5A – Appoint Board and Commission Members

Board of Review – 2 Year Terms – Council appoints and approves -Two open positions (1 is an alternate)

• Richard Babcock (current member, alternate, served 5 terms)
• Matt Bugera
• Bob Thoma
• Rhonda Troszak (current member, served 2 1⁄2 terms)Downtown Development Authority – 4 year term – Mayor appoints, Council approves -Four open positions (one is to fill a remaining term for 3 years)

• Karen Adams
• Matt Bugera
• Gail Brown (current member, served about half of 1 term)
• Sara Eshelbrenner (current member, served about 3/4 of 1 term)
• Sofia Franciscus (non-voter, no downtown property interest indicated, ineligible)
• Carol Gargaro
• Melissa Georges
• Maggie Lacey
• Allison Larson
• Nikki Law (current member, served 1 1/2 terms)
• Mike Naturaks (non-voter but downtown business owner)
• Bob Thoma
• Rhonda Troszak
• Ron TurnerHarbor Commission – 4 Year Term – Council appoints and approves -Two open positions

• Neil Ahrens (non-voter)
• Richard Babcock
• Jim Bartlett (current member, at least 9 terms)
• Robert Denten
• Karen Donnely (current member, served 1 term)
• Carol Gargaro
• Melissa Georges
• Garon Gopigian (non-voter)
• Maggie Lacey
• Kevin Larson (non-voter)
• George Peet
• Danny Rotert
• Patricia Spaulding
• Gale Stephens
• Bob Thoma
• Ron Turner
• Eric Wynsma4

5A – Appoint Board and Commission Members

Sewer Authority – 3 Year Term – Council appoints and approves -One open position

• Matt Bugera (served previously as mayor)
• David Lamarche (current member, served 1 term)