Jan 13, 2026 Committee on Appointments Meeting

[00:00:03]

MAYOR OF GRAND HAVEN. SORRY. YOU'RE OKAY. GOOD MORNING. WE WILL CALL THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS TO ORDER AT 8 A.M. HAPPY NEW YEAR. IT'S OUR FIRST MEETING OF 2026. SO EXCITED TO

[1. Resolution approving the City Commission's appointment of Commissioner Belchak to the General Retirement System Board of Trustees.]

MOVED AND SUPPORTED COMMENTS ON THIS COLLEAGUES. I'LL JUST ADD THAT THIS IS CORRECTING AN ERROR THAT I MADE IN OUR END OF YEAR APPOINTMENT. SO THAT'S WHY IT SEEMS KIND OF LIKE A ONE OFF.

OKAY. SO I HAD THE YEARS TOTALLY WRONG, AND WE FELT IT BEST TO HAVE A FORMAL CORRECTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MISS OSCAR. YES, COMMISSIONER. YOU HAD A LOT AT THE END, SO DON'T FEEL BAD. THERE WAS A THERE WAS A LOT OF THEM AT THE END. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BELCHECK, FOR SERVING ON THIS BODY. OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND YEAH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. IT'LL BE A NEW, NEW COMMITTEE FOR ME. SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE TO TEACH ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW. AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. BRINGS US TO OUR

[2. Resolution confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Kyle Van Strien to the City Planning Commission]

OR THIS IS WITH THE THREE PEOPLE ADDED. THIS IS WITH THE THREE PEOPLE AFTER THESE APPOINTMENTS OKAY. SO. SO IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE WE'RE REALLY GOING TO NEED TO SEE ABOUT WARD ONE. I ALSO THINK. YOU KNOW RACIAL DIVERSITY ON THIS BODY IS IS SEVERELY LACKING. I ALWAYS PUT THESE THINGS INTO CONTEXT OF, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WORKED IN HR, THERE'S WHAT YOU CALL THE REASONABLE RECRUITING AREA. AND SO A REASONABLE RECRUITING AREA WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A JOB MAY BE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF A GEOGRAPHICAL REGION. RIGHT? LIKE SO IF YOU AND I WERE LOOKING FOR JOBS, WE MIGHT LOOK IN MUSKEGON, WE MIGHT LOOK IN GRAND RAPIDS, WE MIGHT LOOK IN HOLLAND, AND THEN WE WOULD SAY, OKAY, MELINDA AND HER SKILL SETS AND HER RACIAL AND ETHNIC AND GENDER DIVERSITY. WHAT DOES THAT MAKE UP? NOW, I KNOW WHEN WE LOOK AT PLANNING COMMISSION, THAT POOL IS NOT JUST THE POPULATION OF GRAND RAPIDS. AND IT'S NOT JUST SO. SO I SAY THIS NOT TO SAY THAT I, I WILL BE SUPPORTING THESE, BUT I WANT US TO CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. I KNOW THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING, COMMISSIONER. MISTER CHAIR, THAT YOU HIGHLIGHTED AND SHARED. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CAME ON THIS BODY, IT'S THINGS THAT PAST COLLEAGUES HAVE MENTIONED AS WELL. AND SO TO KNOW THAT ONE ONE WARD IS A MISREPRESENTATION, YOU KNOW, IS NOT REPRESENTED. AND THEN THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CERTAINLY MORE RACIAL DIVERSITY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT ON THE RECORD. YEAH. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER, I CONCUR. I BELIEVE THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT DIVERSITY OF NOT ONLY BACKGROUND OF RACE BUT THOUGHT, EXPERIENCE, AGE. I WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT THAT UP AS LONG AS I'M STILL THE YOUNGEST ON THIS BODY. YOU WON'T BE. MAYBE SOMEONE WILL BE. SOMEONE WILL BEAT ME. BUT I CERTAINLY THINK THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT. AND WE WANT TO, ESPECIALLY ON SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS THE PLANNING COMMISSION. ALL OF OUR BODIES DO IMPORTANT WORK, BUT THIS IS SUCH A WORK THAT FOLKS SEE AND THAT THEY LIVE EVERY DAY. WE WANT THAT DIVERSITY IN MANY WAYS. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. ANY FURTHER COMMENT ON MR. VAN TRINH'S APPOINTMENT? OKAY. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

[3. Resolution confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Matthew Franko to the City Planning Commission]

YES, HE'S SERVING AGAIN BUT YES. SORT OF STARTING OVER. YES. THIS IS A NEW APPOINTMENT. AND YOU'LL NOTICE IN THE DETAILS THAT THE TERM LENGTHS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT. THERE WAS AN ERROR AND AN APPOINTMENT A FEW YEARS AGO, AND SO WE'RE GETTING BACK ON TRACK WITH HAVING THREE

[00:05:05]

[4. Resolution confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Andrea Hendrick to the City Planning Commission]

SO MOVED. SUPPORT. MOVED AND SUPPORTED. COMMENTS ON THIS APPOINTMENT. COLLEAGUES. THIS ONE IS ALSO A NEW APPOINTMENT, MISTER CHAIR. YES. THANK YOU. YES, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU.

CHAIR, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT EVEN THOUGH WE WERE DISCUSSING THE WARD DISTRIBUTION AND I AGREE THAT WE NEED A SPECIFIC SKILL SET, I ALSO APPRECIATE COMMISSIONER SUSIE'S COMMENTS ABOUT DIVERSITY. I'M ACTUALLY REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT MISS HENDRICK WILL BE ABLE TO DO ON OUR PLANNING COMMISSION. SHE'S GOT A QUITE A BREADTH OF PLANNING BACKGROUND AND CURRENTLY LIVES OVER BY. I THINK SHE'S SECOND WARD. AND YEAH, JUST TO MAKE A NOTE FOR TRANSPARENCY THAT SHE BRINGS, SHE IS ACTUALLY THE PLANNING DIRECTOR AT CASCADE TOWNSHIP.

SO I THINK THAT THIS IS A GOOD AD, AND I DO RECOMMEND THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH HER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER. YES, I'M FAMILIAR WITH MISS HENDRICK AS WELL. SHE ACTUALLY SERVED US VERY WELL ON OUR NORTH CORRIDOR CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY. THIS IS WHEN SHE WAS LIVING IN THE GRAND HAVEN AREA. AND WHILE I DO THINK SOMEBODY HAVING STRONG PLANNING EXPERIENCE IS GOOD, I THINK THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO BE MINDFUL OF WHEN SOMEBODY WORKS IN ONE DEPARTMENT BUT THEN IS ON AN AUTHORITY OF APPROVING AND ANOTHER. I DO THINK WE JUST NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF ANY CONFLICTS. WE JUST NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THOSE ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS PLAY OUT. SO I AM SUPPORTING THIS APPOINTMENT, BUT ALSO JUST APPRECIATE YOU HIGHLIGHTING THAT AND JUST WANT TO SAY THAT FOR THE RECORD, YOU KNOW IT. I THINK IF I WORKED IN THE CITY OF WYOMING BUT I SERVED ON GRANT, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I COULD DO THAT. BUT ANYWAYS, MAKING A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS, BUT I DO THINK IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO HIGHLIGHT BECAUSE AGAIN, WE HAVE A PROFESSIONAL BODY AND DIFFERENT PLANNING. YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT CITIES HAVE DIFFERENT ZONING RULES. SO I THINK IT'S SOMETHING TO BE NOTED FOR ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICT AND JUST AWARENESS ABOUT THAT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY

[5. Discussion on the current Board and Commission Vacancy List - January 13, 2026]

SO THINGS ARE IT'S LOOKING PRETTY FULL THESE DAYS, BUT WE HAVE A LOT IN THE WORKS. NEXT MEETING WE'RE HOPING TO KNOCK OUT THOSE MOBILE GR COMMISSION VACANCIES AND GET SOME APPOINTMENTS THERE. ALSO, LOOKING AT THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION, AND I THINK WE'LL START WORKING ON SOME CIVILIAN APPEAL BOARD. WE'RE GETTING BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS WITH VETTING AND GETTING THINGS MOVING. AND THEN FOR COMMISSIONER CITY COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS, WE HAVE HISTORIC PRESERVATION, BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS AND THEN A PARKS AND RECREATION. SO THOSE ARE COMMITTEES THAT I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL HAVE PACKETS OF. AND WE CAN HOPEFULLY MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE APPOINTMENTS AS WELL.

WONDERFUL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER BELCHER, SO WHEN YOU SAID THESE ARE COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS, DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE SPECIFIC TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR AWARD OR THEY'RE JUST STUFF THAT WE GET TO. WE ARE VERSUS THE MAYOR. SO AS FAR AS THE APPOINTING AUTHORITIES GO, MANY OF THEM, THE APPOINTING AUTHORITY IS THE MAYOR. AND THEN THERE ARE A FEW THAT ARE INDIVIDUAL CITY COMMISSIONERS. AND THEN THERE'S QUITE A FEW THAT ARE JUST CITY COMMISSION AS A WHOLE. AND THAT'S WHAT THESE ARE, PARKS AND REC, HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS. SO THOSE ARE CITY COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS AS OPPOSED TO MAYORAL APPOINTMENTS, BUT STILL NOT AN INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONER. OKAY. AND JUST SO MY COLLEAGUES KNOW, I DID SPEND QUITE A FEW HOURS YESTERDAY AND I'VE BEEN HELPING RECRUIT AND MAKING SOME PHONE CALLS AND THINGS. I DO THINK THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE AT THE END OF THE YEAR WHO I HAD TALKED TO, WHO HAD INTENDED TO APPLY FOR DIFFERENT THINGS, AND I DOUBLE CHECKED WITH THEM.

MANY OF THEM HADN'T ACTUALLY FINISHED THE APPLICATION. SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO REMIND FOLKS THAT WE CAN YOU GOT TO HAVE THOSE APPLICATIONS IN. AND THEN THOSE NAMES ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT AND BRING FORWARD. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. MY ITEM WAS MORE OF

[00:10:02]

LAST WEEK, CITY MANAGER SHARED A NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP POSITIONS OF INDIVIDUALS. AND SO I SEE ONE IN HERE, MR. WAYNE JERNBERG, WHO'S NOW OFFICIAL OFFICIAL AS THE UTILITIES DIRECTOR, MISS LAURA CLAYPOOL, WHO IS NOW OFFICIAL, OFFICIAL AS THE PARKS DIRECTOR. AND THEN MR. SELMA TUCKER, WHO IS COMING BACK TO THE CITY AS A BOOMERANG EMPLOYEE. AND SO JUST WANTED TO SEE, AS WE HAVE THOSE LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS, MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE LIAISONS TO DIFFERENT BODIES. AND I THINK PROBABLY WAYNE AND LAURA ARE OKAY BECAUSE YOU ARE ALREADY SERVING AS INTERIM. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MISS BOHAC WILL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THAT'S OBVIOUSLY TO HER DISCRETION OF THE DEPARTMENT, BUT THAT'S JUST ALWAYS A GOOD I FEEL LIKE THOSE MESSAGES ARE ALWAYS A GOOD REMINDER TO KIND OF CHECK IN ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE PIECE OF THE THE LIAISONS. SO THANKS. THANKS. CONGRATS. YEAH, CONGRATULATIONS.

AND AS ALWAYS, ENCOURAGING EVERYONE WATCHING AND WHO INTERACTS WITH US TO APPLY, APPLY, APPLY AND SEE WHERE YOU CAN HELP THE CITY OUT. ALL RIGHT. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. YES COMMISSIONER. THE THE RESIGNATION. SO JUST SINCE THIS IS COMMISSIONER BELICHICK'S FIRST MEETING AND MISS BOSSCHER DOES A GOOD JOB OF HIGHLIGHTING TO US VIA EMAIL WHO IS WHO IS GOING OFF THE BODY. BUT I THINK IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SHARE TO WHAT THEY WERE. TWO THAT ARE GOING TO BE ROLLING OFF. YES. ONE, YOU MENTIONED SELMA TUCKER.

YEAH, USUALLY I DO MENTION IT IN THAT JOGGED MY MEMORY. HE WAS SERVING ON THE LOCAL OFFICERS COMPENSATION COMMISSION. SO THERE'S TWO VACANCIES NOW THERE. THOSE ARE MAYORAL APPOINTMENT AND THEY'RE ON THE MAYOR'S RADAR. AND THEN ALSO, BELINDA BARDWELL IS NO LONGER SERVING ON THE APPEALS OR, EXCUSE ME, THE BOARD OF ART AND MUSEUM COMMISSIONERS. SO IS THAT A MAYORAL APPOINTMENT AS WELL? THAT ONE IS CITY COMMISSION. OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. SOUNDS GOOD. ALL RIGHT, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE WILL ADJOURN THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AT

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.