Mar 17, 2026 Committee on Appointments Meeting

EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. WE WILL CALL THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS TO ORDER AT 8 A.M..

[00:00:05]

[1. Resolution recognizing Commissioner Kilgore's appointment of Kimberley Williams to the Grand Rapids Police Civilian Appeal Board]

SO MOVED. MOVED AND SUPPORTED COMMENTS ON THIS RESOLUTION.

COLLEAGUES. SEEING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE.

THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

THAT BRINGS US TO OUR SECOND RESOLUTION CONFIRMING MAYOR LEGRAND'S APPOINTMENT OF

[2. Resolution confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Sara Knoester to the Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority]

SO MOVED. MOVED AND SUPPORTED COMMENTS ON MISS EASTER.

THERE WE GO. YES. COMMISSIONER.

WELL, I KNEW MISS HER WHEN SHE HAD A DIFFERENT NAME THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT EASIER, BUT AS SOMEBODY WITH THE LAST NAME, I SHOULDN'T BE SAYING THAT.

BUT MISS COMMISSIONER HAS BEEN VERY A LONG TIME BUSINESS OWNER.

I CAN'T REMEMBER. I DON'T REMEMBER HOW LONG SHE'S BEEN IN SOUTH SOUTHTOWN. BUT HER BUSINESS MIX STAFFING HAS WORKED WITH A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES TO REALLY WORK TO GET FOLKS IN EMPLOYMENT AND WORK WITH EMPLOYERS WHO ARE PART OF SECOND CHANCES.

AND MORE SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYMENT. SO I THINK SHE WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THAT BODY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER.

ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.

THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

BRINGS US TO OUR THIRD RESOLUTION CONFIRMING MAYOR APPOINTMENT OF RACHEL WINGO TO THE

[3. Resolution confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Rachael Wingo to the Uptown Corridor Improvement Authority]

SUPPORT. MOVED AND SUPPORTED COMMENTS ON THIS APPOINTMENT, COLLEAGUES. I JUST WILL SAY IT'S NICE TO SEE THE UPTOWN CORRIDOR GETTING FILLED UP.

MUST BE GREAT. YEAH, WE'VE BEEN DOING REALLY GOOD.

I'M ON UPTOWN. UPTOWN IS HAD A STEADY AMOUNT OF FOLKS WHO WHO STEP UP TO SERVE.

AND I THINK WE IN MY YEARS SERVING ON THAT, WE'VE ONLY NOT HAD QUORUM ONCE, WHICH IS REALLY NICE. OKAY, SO I'LL CALL THE QUESTION.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.

THOSE OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES.

BRINGS US TO OUR FOURTH RESOLUTION CONFIRMING BELLA GRANDE'S APPOINTMENT OF ARIEL ELLIS TO

[4. Resolution confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Arielle Leipham Ellis to the Vital Streets Oversight Commission]

SO MOVED. MOVED AND SUPPORTED.

COMMENTS ON THIS APPOINTMENT, COLLEAGUES. I JUST HAD SO.

YEAH. SO WE'VE HAD THIS ONE KIND OF OUT THERE.

WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S CONFLICTS BASED ON HER WORK AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS. AND I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO WE HAVE, WE ASK EVERY MEMBER TO PUT A CONFLICT RESOLUTION TOGETHER.

SO AS LONG AS SHE DECLARES THAT AND IF SOMETHING COMES BETWEEN VITAL STREETS, THEN SHE HAS A CONFLICT, THEN WE'LL JUST WORK THROUGH THE REGULAR PROCESS. OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. CLARK. FURTHER COMMENT? COLLEAGUES? YES, COMMISSIONER.

I JUST THINK THAT SHE'S A VERY BRILLIANT.

I'D BE CURIOUS, LIKE, ARE YOU JUST TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE OF HER EMPLOYER AS A POTENTIAL CONFLICT? OKAY, THAT MAKES SENSE.

YEAH, I THINK SHE'LL BE A GREAT ADDITION IF YOU CAN WORK THAT OUT. AND IT'LL BE GOOD TO HAVE THE VITAL STREETS FULLY STAFFED AS WELL.

YEAH. OKAY. SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE.

THOSE OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES MOVES US TO OUR FIFTH RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CITY

[5. Resolution approving the City Commission's appointment of Nate Rauh-Bieri to the Vital Streets Oversight Commission]

SO MOVED. MOVED AND SUPPORTED.

I HAVE WORKED WITH MR. BERRY AND MULTIPLE CAPACITIES, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE HIS SERVICE TO COMMUNITY. HE ALSO SERVES AS A MEMBER OF THE GRAND RAPIDS CLIMATE COALITION, SO IT WILL BE A WELCOME ADDITION TO THIS COMMISSION.

YES. COMMISSIONER. I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, HARKEN BACK.

HE'S ALSO ON BEING APPOINTED, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A MAYOR APPOINTMENT.

HE'S A REPRESENTATIVE OF Y.MEHARI REPRESENTATION, WHICH ALWAYS FEELS GOOD TO.

SO AWESOME. OKAY. SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE.

THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

THIS BRINGS US TO OUR LAST RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CITY COMMISSION'S APPOINTMENT

[6. Resolution approving the City Commission's appointment of Wayne Jernberg to the Grand Valley Regional Biosolids Authority.]

I DON'T WANT TO BUTCHER ANYONE'S NAME.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S OKAY.

THIS MORNING TO THE GRAND VALLEY REGIONAL BIOSOLIDS AUTHORITY.

SO MOVED. SO MOVED. YOU KNOW, MOVED IN SUPPORT.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. COMMENTS ON THIS APPOINTMENT.

DO YOU ACCEPT? OKAY. BEING VOLUNTOLD.

RIGHT. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

AND, MR. CLARK, IF YOU COULD GUIDE US THROUGH A DISCUSSION ON OUR CURRENT BOARD AND

[7. Discussion on the current Board and Commission Vacancy List - March 17, 2026]

YEAH. SO OBVIOUSLY, WE JUST GOT A FEW APPOINTMENTS DONE THERE, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME OTHERS IN THE HOPPER AS WE'RE MOVING THROUGH.

EVERYTHING IS LOOKING REALLY GOOD AS FAR AS FILLING VACANCIES THERE.

I MEAN, IT SHOWS CIVILIAN APPEALS BOARD, BUT EVERYBODY SERVES UNTIL THEIR REPLACEMENTS DONE. SO COMMISSIONERS ARE THE POINT OF DOING THEIRS.

YOU HAD YOURS UP TODAY.

SO YEAH. SO SO AS PEOPLE ARE WORKING THROUGH THOSE,

[00:05:02]

WONDERFUL. AND THERE WERE SOME RESIGNATIONS AS WELL.

YEP. SO WE HAD TWO RESIGNATIONS THAT FOR THIS ONE NATHAN HIRSCH REGARDING HIS RESIGNATION FROM SOUTHTOWN AND BROOKE OSTERMAN FROM THE GRAND RAPIDS HOUSING COMMISSION.

WONDERFUL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CLARK.

OKAY. FURTHER COMMENTS, COLLEAGUES? YES, COMMISSIONER. I KNOW THAT THE WE HAVE OUR MUSEUM AND ART BOARD, AND THERE WERE SOME NEW PDFS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO US.

SO I JUST PUT IT IN THE EMAIL, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THE CLERK GOT TO SEE IT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE COPIED IN ON THAT, BUT JUST WEIGHING IN ON THOSE THAT WERE SENT IN AND THERE WERE A COUPLE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW UP WITH, BUT MOSTLY I THINK THERE'S A CLEAR CONTENDER TO, TO LEAD THE FRONT PACK OF THAT.

AND DO WE WANT TO SAY THAT NOW OR JUST TALK ABOUT IT? I THINK IT'S OKAY. I USUALLY WAIT BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE FULLY VETTED BEFORE WE PUT THEIR NAME OUT THERE. IT'S JUST MORE OF A COURTESY TO THE APPLICANT.

THANK YOU. THANKS. THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONERS. OKAY. SEEING.

OH, YES, MR. CLARK. SO THE.

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT FIRST WARD VACANCY A LITTLE BIT. WHILE WE'RE WHILE WE'RE HERE. SO WE DO HAVE WE DO HAVE A WE HAVE WE HAVE A PROCESS.

WE HAVE TWO FULL APPLICANTS.

WELL, I HAVEN'T FULLY REVIEWED THEM, BUT WE HAVE TWO APPLICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TURNED IN. SO WE HAVE A WHOLE WE HAVE ANOTHER WEEK.

WE HAVE TIMES ON YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE INITIAL INTERVIEWS AND THEN WE HAVE A TIME ON THE CALENDAR FOR THE FULL COMMISSION. SO WE'LL BE APPROVING THAT AT QUARTER TO SET THOSE SPECIAL MEETINGS.

SO THE, SO THE PROCESS IS WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH.

AND THEN AS SOON AS WE HAVE THOSE IN AND I'LL HAVE THEM VETTED, THEN WE'LL SHARE THEM WITH YOU SO YOU CAN PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THAT INTERVIEW ON THE 17TH, APRIL 17TH. YES.

THANK YOU, MR. CLARK, AND THANK YOU TO YOUR OFFICE FOR THE WORK ON THAT. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

AND SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT, WE WILL ADJOURN THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AT 8:07 A.M.. HAVE A GREAT DAY.

THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.