[1. Resolution Confirming Mayor LaGrand's appointment of Daniel Savage to the Grand Rapids Police Civilian Appeal Board]
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CALL THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS TO ORDER AT 8 A.M. WE HAVE A FEW ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA, STARTING WITH THE RESOLUTION CONFIRMING MIA GRAHAM'S APPOINTMENT OF DANIEL DANIEL SAVAGE TO THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE CIVILIAN APPEAL BOARD. SO MOVED. MOVED AND SUPPORTED COMMENTS ON THIS APPOINTMENT. COLLEAGUES. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.
[2. Resolution recognizing Commissioner Knight's appointment of Ronisha Hardin to the Grand Rapids Police Civilian Appeal Board]
THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. BRINGS US TO OUR SECOND RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING COMMISSIONER KNIGHT'S APPOINTMENT OF RONISHA HARDEN TO THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE CIVILIAN APPEAL BOARD. SUPPORT. MOVED AND SUPPORTED. COMMENTS. COLLEAGUES. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. BRINGS US TO OUR THIRD RESOLUTION[3. Resolution confirming City Manager Washington's reappointment of Monica App to the Grand Rapids Housing Commission]
CONFIRMING CITY MANAGER WASHINGTON'S REAPPOINTMENT TO. OF MONICA APT TO THE GRAND RAPIDS HOUSING COMMISSION. SO MOVED. SUPPORT MOVED AND SUPPORTED. COMMENTS. COLLEAGUES.YEAH, I'LL MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THE HOUSING COMMISSION DOES. AND THAT MONICA APP HAS BEEN ON THAT FOR A WHILE. I'M HAPPY TO REAPPOINT HER AND I LIKE THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING WITH THAT. BUT I DO THINK THAT THAT COMMISSION AS A WHOLE HAS SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO EXPAND AND DO SOME MORE INTERESTING THINGS. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD DOWN THE LINE TO DISCUSSING WITH MONICA AND OTHERS HOW WE CAN BRING MORE HOUSING FOR OUR LOWER INCOME FOLKS. AND I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS THAT ROCKFORD HASN'T NECESSARILY BEEN SO ON BOARD WITH SOME OF THAT, AND NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN IT. BUT I THINK BECAUSE OF THE MARKET RATE PRESSURES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CITY, I HAVE UNFORTUNATELY NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH ROCKFORD AND TALK WITH THEM. AT THIS POINT. SCHEDULES ARE BEING WHAT THEY ARE. SO AGAIN, I'M HAPPY TO CONTINUE HER WORK AND WHAT SHE'S DOING. I LIKE HER, I LIKE THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPERS LIKE ROCKFORD THAT WANT TO BE INVOLVED, BUT I DO HAVE SOME OVERALL CONCERNS THAT WE CONTINUE TO REALLY EVALUATE WHO WE ARE, HAVING MOVED THIS WORK FORWARD. THANK YOU.
COMMISSIONER. ANY FURTHER COMMENT? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED?
[4. Resolution confirming City Manager Washington's appointment of Joshua Lunger to the Grand Rapids Housing Commission]
MOTION CARRIES. BRINGS US TO OUR FOURTH RESOLUTION CONFIRMING CITY MANAGER WASHINGTON'S APPOINTMENT OF JOSHUA LANGER TO THE GRAND RAPIDS HOUSING COMMISSION.SUPPORT MOVED IN SUPPORT. ADD COMMENTS ON THIS, COLLEAGUES. I'LL BEGIN. I BELIEVE I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THIS APPOINTMENT. I HAVE SEVERAL CONCERNS WITH THE GRAND RAPIDS CHAMBER AND THEIR WORK. THIS. OUR HOUSING COMMISSION IS OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY PUSHING FORWARD IMPERATIVE WORK TO OUR CITY, REALLY SPEARHEADING AND AND BEING IN THE WEEDS WITH SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK, SUCH AS SUPPORTING OUR FRONT LINE COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS THOSE WHO ARE UNHOUSED OR THOSE WHO NEED ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THE GRAND RAPIDS CHAMBER HAS STRATEGICALLY AND FOR MANY YEARS OPPOSED LEGISLATION AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WOULD BE DIRECTLY EFFECTIVE TO HELP SOME OF OUR MOST PRESSING HOUSING NEEDS, BUT I WANT TO TAKE IT LOCALLY, SINCE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. AND GRAND RAPIDS CHAMBER WAS A PART OF A FEW GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO HELPED BASICALLY CRIMINALIZE BEING UNHOUSED HERE IN DOWNTOWN GRAND RAPIDS. I BELIEVE THAT PASSED LIKE 5 TO 2 ON THE CITY COMMISSION YEARS BACK. I BELIEVE THAT WAS CONSIDERED OUR NUISANCE ORDINANCE, WHERE THEY DRAFTED LANGUAGE THAT FOLKS LIKE THE ACLU STOOD AGAINST AND SAID WAS IN VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. SO I CAN NO, IN NO WAY IN GOOD FAITH SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO IS REPRESENTING AN ORGANIZATION THAT DOES NOT CONSISTENTLY DO POSITIVE WORK FOR OUR MOST FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES. I WANT TO THANK THE CHAMBER FOR THEIR WORK WITH 101 HUNDRED, I THINK THE CITY MANAGER SAID THEY SURPASSED THE AMOUNT, THE 100 THAT THEY WERE LOOKING TOWARDS HOUSING. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THEIR WORK THERE. BUT THAT'S ONE RIGHT. THAT'S THAT'S ONE INITIATIVE THAT IS SUCCESSFUL AND PEOPLE FOCUSED, BUT THEN CONTINUING TO ADVOCATE AGAINST THOSE FOLKS VERY NEEDS AT THE STATE LEVEL, LOCAL LEVEL. IN ADDITION, THEY CONTINUE TO SPREAD MISINFORMATION AND UNSUPPORTED CLAIMS ABOUT OUR CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN THAT IS MEANT TO HELP HOME OWNERS. THEY CONTINUE TO SAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO CHARGE HOMEOWNERS AN EXTREME AMOUNT, IN ADDITION TO ALREADY RISING COSTS, AND THEY WILL NOT SUPPORT THESE CLAIMS.
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THEY HAD A TEXT MESSAGE CAMPAIGN, THEY HAD A WEB PAGE ABOUT THIS, AND IT IS DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IN OUR TIMES OF MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA. WE NEED TO BE APPOINTING PEOPLE THAT ARE UPHOLDING THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF INTEGRITY OF TRUTH, AND THIS ORGANIZATION DOES NOT DO THAT. SO FOR THOSE REASONS, I ALSO ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO NOT SUPPORT THIS APPOINTMENT, AND I WILL NOT BE ANY FURTHER COMMENT. MAY I CHAIR. YES, UNLESS, COMMISSIONER, YOU WANT TO GO FIRST. OKAY. I REALLY APPLAUD YOU FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO SAY THOSE THINGS. I THINK THAT SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE NECESSARY TO BE SAID, AND THAT IT'S GOOD THAT WE HAVE A BODY AND A PUBLIC WAY TO TO BRING THOSE IDEAS FORWARD. I PERSONALLY HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT PUNISHING, SO TO SPEAK, PEOPLE FOR THE PAST WITHOUT GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THAT THEY'RE MAKING NEW STRIDES AND NEW DIRECTIONS. I THINK THAT THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT CLEARING UP WHAT, BECAUSE I AGREE WITH YOU, THERE WERE SOME MISINFORMATION AND DEFINITELY A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE POTENTIALLY THE COST OF WHAT HOUSING WOULD BE WITH THE CAP. AND I THINK THAT THERE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET ALIGNED AND GET SHARED SHARED INFORMATION IN THE CORRECT WAY. AND THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IN SOME WAYS, IS TO WORK TOGETHER AND NOT CREATE UNNECESSARY FRICTION. I THINK THAT WE SET A JUST A POTENTIAL PRECEDENT HERE THAT WOULD BE MAYBE FOR THE LONG TERM DETRIMENT OVER THE SHORT TERM BENEFIT. SO I THINK THAT ALL YOUR COMMENTS ARE VALID AND NECESSARY TO BE SAID. BUT AGAIN, BACK TO WHAT I WAS SAYING ABOUT THE OTHER APPOINTMENT, THAT THE HOUSING COMMISSION DOES HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME REALLY GREAT WORK, THAT WE DO NEED PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE PUSHING AHEAD AND AGGRESSIVELY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR CITY. AND JOSH HAS AT THIS TIME PROVEN THAT HE IS WORKING ON THOSE THOSE ISSUES AND HAS A DEEP LEVEL OF EXPERTISE THAT I THINK WE DO NEED. SO I'M OPEN TO CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION WITH THE CHAMBER AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE CAN BE MORE ALIGNED, MORE STRATEGIC AND MORE PROGRESSIVE IN MAKING REAL CHANGE HAPPEN. AND IN THE MEANTIME, I DO KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE. AND LET'S JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD ON THAT AND HONOR THE THE FOLKS WHO ARE RECOMMENDING JOSHUA AT THIS TIME. SURE. THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. OH, SORRY. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THE CONVERSATION. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT I'VE SAID BEFORE IN THIS BODY, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH I'VE HAD PEOPLE THAT I'VE APPOINTED, I'VE DISAGREED WITH THEM. I'VE HAD PEOPLE THAT I KNOW AND HAVEN'T APPOINTED. I DON'T REALLY WANT TO TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I BELIEVE EVERYBODY'S ALLOWED THEIR VOTE. SO I'LL BE VOTING TO SUPPORT MR. LANGER. BUT COMMISSIONER, I FEEL LIKE I DO NEED TO SET THE RECORD ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE PUBLIC NUISANCE. WE DIDN'T CRIMINALIZE IT, SO I WAS PART OF THAT VOTE. I LED THAT EFFORT BECAUSE I WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT WE WOULD BE CRIMINALIZING PEOPLE FOR SITTING IN LINE ON THIS ON THE STREET. SO WE WORKED TOGETHER TO FIND A BETTER SOLUTION BECAUSE QUITE HONESTLY, THERE PROBABLY WAS ENOUGH VOTES TO GO SORT OF WHAT I'LL SAY ALL THE WAY. THERE WAS A NUMBER OF US, EVEN THOSE THAT DIDN'T VOTE TO SUPPORT, I WOULD SAY, WERE REALLY TRYING TO FIND A COMMON GROUND. SO I, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS SAY I WON'T DISAGREE WITH PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES WITH PEOPLE, QUITE HONESTLY. RIGHT.BUT I DO FEEL LIKE I NEED TO SET THE RECORD FOR THAT. I DID NOT VOTE TO CRIMINALIZE HOMELESSNESS. SO THAT WAS A53 VOTE TO CARVE OUT A VERY SPECIFIC ORDINANCE FOR A VERY SPECIFIC ISSUE THAT WE WERE FACING. AND I'M PROUD OF THAT WORK. I'M PROUD OF THAT VOTE.
SO I WANT TO SET THE. THAT'S MY RECORD, AND I WAS ON THE COMMISSION AT THAT TIME. THAT WAS 2023, I BELIEVE. SO I JUST FEEL LIKE THAT IS NECESSARY TO SAY THANK YOU. SURE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, COLLEAGUES. ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? NAY.
[5. Resolution recognizing Grand Rapids Public School's reappointment of Jordoun Eatman to the SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority]
MOTION CARRIES BUT WILL NOT BE ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA. THAT MOVES US TO OUR FIFTH RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS REAPPOINTMENT OF JORDAN EASTMAN TO THE SMARTZONE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY. SO MOVED. MOVED AND SUPPORTED COMMENTS ON THIS APPOINTMENT. COLLEAGUES, I KNOW THAT JORDAN HAS DONE SOME GREAT WORK IN THE COMMUNITY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT MORE WILL BE DONE. AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD THAT WE CONTINUE TO TO SHARE WITH FOLKS WHAT THE SMARTZONE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY DOES. I DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT SMART. WHAT WE WHAT IT MEANS TO DEVELOP IN A SMART ZONE AND WHAT THAT DOES. SO THAT'S MY COMMENT. I WILL SAY I SEE A COUPLE OF FOLKS FROM OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HERE IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM,[00:10:02]
AND I SERVE ON THAT BODY. I DO AGREE WITH THE COMMENTS ABOUT MR. EASTMAN. I'M GLAD TO SEE HIM REAPPOINTED. AND WE DO HAVE A PAGE THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW AS WELL ON LINKEDIN. AND A LOT OF SOCIALS ARE WORKING WITH A LOCAL MARKETING AGENCY. THE ONE, THE SAME ONE THAT WE USE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT IT. IT'S I DON'T WANT TO SAY IT'S A NICHE BECAUSE IT'S DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY, BUT WE HAVE SOME, WE'RE WORKING WITH AMAZING PARTNERS LIKE START GARDEN, EXCUSE ME, AND MSU TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THOSE HIGH TECH, HIGH GROWTH INNOVATORS AND ENTREPRENEURS. AND SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON, BUT THEY'RE WORKING IN SPACES OF MED TECH. THEY'RE WORKING IN SPACES OF JUST SAFETY FOR PATIENTS. THEY'RE WORKING IN TRYING TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO SAVE INDIVIDUALS MONEY AND STAY IN THEIR HOMES. SO I WOULD NOT THAT YOU HAVEN'T, BUT I WOULD SAY CHECK OUT THE PAGE BECAUSE THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD STORIES THAT ARE FEATURING INDIVIDUALS AND QUITE HONESTLY, WHO ARE GETTING INVESTMENTS FROM EVEN LIKE GLOBALLY WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING IN AND DIFFERENT FIRMS. AND THAT SMART ZONE MIGHT BE THAT FIRST INVESTMENT OR, YOU KNOW, PART OF A CAPITAL STACK, BUT THEN REALLY TRYING TO BRING IN PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD TO INVEST IN THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT IS HAPPENING JUST LIKE DOWN THE STREET AND IN OUR CITY. THANKS. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THAT BOARD. IT IS VERY POSITIVE WORK AS OF ALL OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. SO SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO A DISCUSSION ON OUR CURRENT BOARD AND COMMISSION VACANCY LIST, I'D LIKE TO LEAD US THROUGH A SHORT CONVERSATION ON THE FIRST WORD APPOINTMENT, FIRST ROUND INTERVIEWS. THOSE WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAY HERE IN CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS WHO PUT THEIR NAME OUT THERE AND A VERY PUBLIC PROCESS TO FURTHER SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY. THE THE FORMAT OF THIS MEETING FOR THE THESE INTERVIEWS, THEY'RE 15 MINUTES EACH. AS THE CHAIR, I HAVE PROPOSED THAT EACH COMMITTEE MEMBER GETS THEIR OWN QUESTION THAT THEY WILL ASK TO. ALL TEN APPLICANTS, IN ADDITION TO CLOSING COMMENTS BY THE APPLICANT. VERY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT THIS FRIDAY. AND WE. AND THEN AFTER WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW, THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE APPLICATIONS, RESUMES ONLINE PRESENCE OF THESE APPLICANTS, AND THEN WE WILL THEN FROM THERE, PICK THE TOP THREE TO MOVE ON TO THE FINAL ROUND. SO JUST SO THE PUBLIC IS IN STEP WITH US AS WE DO THIS VERY IMPORTANT PROCESS. COLLEAGUES, ANY COMMENTS OR CONCERNS? OH, MR. CLARK. SO FOLLOWING THIS FOLLOWS CLOSELY WHAT WE DID IN THE LAST TIME IN THE IN 2024 FOR THE THIRD WARD VACANCY. AND WE'LL WE'LL RUN WITH THE TIME. I'LL BE UP HERE WITH THE TIMER AS WELL TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY ANSWERING QUESTIONS KNOWS WHAT, WHAT THEIR TIME FRAME IS AND DOING THAT. AND THEN I WILL HAVE A KIND OF A BALANCE SHEET TOO, SO WE CAN COMPILE. SO WE'LL HAVE VERBAL DELIBERATION, BUT WE'LL ALSO HAVE SCORING WHERE WE IF WE SEE TRUE CONSENSUS THAT WAY FIRST, THAT MIGHT HELP US TOO. SO WE'LL HAVE A RANKING, A RANKING SYSTEM TOO OF THE OF THE TEN.AWESOME. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. WHEN WOULD YOU LIKE THOSE QUESTIONS SENT TO THIS THAT GROUP? SO THE THREE OF US, AND THEN I'M GUESSING THE CITY CLERK, JUST SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT LIKE ASKING, YOU KNOW, A SIMILAR QUESTION OR SUPER SIMILAR QUESTION. I DON'T BELIEVE IN 2024 WE WERE SENT QUESTIONS BEFOREHAND. BUT YOU MEAN JUST TO THIS COMMITTEE, JUST TO THIS COMMITTEE, YEAH. FOR US. SO WE CAN COORDINATE IF THERE IS.
YEAH, YEAH. COULD WE GET THOSE BY WEDNESDAY. OKAY. YEAH. DOES THAT GIVE US. YEAH. TOMORROW WOULD BE FINE. ONE MOMENT HERE. YOUR ONLY CONCERN COMMISSIONER. YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I DIDN'T. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT ASKING THE SAME QUESTION THAT COMMISSIONER BELL IS ASKING, SO. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND YEAH, I WASN'T SURE IF WE WERE GOING TO BE NEED TO BE PREPARED TODAY TO DISCUSS THE QUESTIONS THAT WE.
THIS IS AGAIN FOR THE 15 MINUTE INTERVIEW BEFORE THE. TO SELECT THOSE FINAL FEW THAT WILL GO IN FRONT OF THE FULL COMMISSION FOR OUR INTERVIEW. I THINK THOUGH, JUST FOR TRANSPARENCY SAKE, MY QUESTION IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF THAT. OR DO YOU NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT? WE. I WANT TO STAY CONSISTENT. OKAY, FAIR. THAT'S FAIR PRECEDENTS TODAY.
YEAH. THAT'S TRUE. WE ARE. SO LET'S CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS PROCESS FAIR TO ALL. I DON'T REMEMBER RECEIVING. I WAS A PART OF THE LAST PROCESS, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE BEING AS FAIR AS POSSIBLE. YEAH, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THAT, COMMISSIONER. I WAS ON THERE AS WELL. NO, I'LL SAY JUST ONE THING. I JUST TO THE POINT ABOUT CONFIRMING. SO EVERYBODY HAS CONFIRMED THEIR APPOINTMENT. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE THEY'RE
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GOING. EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW MUCH TIME EACH INTERVIEW WILL BE LIKE. SO WE FEEL GOOD THAT ALL THE. YES. SO SO THIS WAS THIS WAS THE SMOOTHEST EVER. SO ADDING TEN PEOPLE, I, I'M IT JUST ALL WORKED. I'VE NEVER HAD THAT. SO I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. GRATEFUL, THANKFUL WHATEVER FOR THAT. OKAY, SO THEY ALL KNOW THE TIMES. SO I WAS GOING TO WAIT TO SEE. I WAS GOING TO WAIT TILL WE'RE CLOSER, BUT THEN I'LL GO. I ALREADY GAVE THEM A LOT OF DETAILS, BUT I'LL GIVE A REMINDER, ONE MORE DETAILS OF THE PROCESS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE A CLOCK TOO. GOT IT. OKAY. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SAY ON THE RECORD HERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE DONE TO COMMUNICATE TO PEOPLE BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY COMES, YOU KNOW, AND SAYS THAT THEY DIDN'T, I WANT THAT ON THE RECORD. IT'S ALSO BEEN LIKE OVER A WEEK AGO. SO YES. AND IT WAS SPRING BREAK. SO I, I, YEAH, I THINK DO THAT RECONFIRMATION. LET'S MAKE SURE AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL PLAN TO BE HERE. I KNOW IT'S ALSO THE SAME DAY AS KIDS SPEAK, BUT I MEAN, IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT JUST, BUT IT'S AN APPOINTMENT BODY, NOT OUR FULL COMMISSION. AND THEN THE NEXT MEETING COMMISSIONER OR MISTER CHAIR, YOU SAID THE THREE THAT WILL SELECT THAT WILL GO TO NEXT WEEK, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22ND, WITH THE FULL BODY INTERVIEWING THOSE THREE CANDIDATES. YES, YES. OKAY. YES, IT'LL BE AT TEN. IT'LL BE AT 10:00 BECAUSE. BECAUSE YOU KNOW.BROWNFIELD, RIGHT. YEAH. SORRY. WE'LL BE FOLLOWING THAT. AND SO AND THOSE AND THE GROUP KNOWS THAT THAT IS IF THEY MAKE IT TO THAT ROUND THAT'S WHAT THEY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR. YES.
GOT IT. OKAY. EVERYBODY'S GOT THE PROCESS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH COMMISSIONER. YES. WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS PROCESS AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE. IT IS THE PEOPLE'S PROCESS FOR CHOOSING SOMEONE WHO WILL STAND IN AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE
[6. Discussion on the current Board and Commission Vacancy List - April 14, 2026]
WEST SIDE. ALL RIGHT. NOW, IF MISS OSCAR, IF YOU COULD LEAD US THROUGH A DISCUSSION ON THE CURRENT BOARD AND COMMISSION VACANCY LIST AS OF APRIL 14TH, 2026. SURE. WE'VE GOT, AS YOU CAN SEE, LOTS OF APPOINTMENTS TODAY. SO WE'RE MOVING FORWARD FILLING IN VACANCIES. I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU ALL THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD. THERE ARE TWO TERMS THAT ARE UP FOR REAPPOINTMENT THAT ARE COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENT. AND I WILL SEND THAT INFORMATION AGAIN. SO I JUST NEED FROM YOU ALL A CONSENSUS ON REAPPOINTING OR MOVING FORWARD WITH SOMEBODY ELSE. FOR THOSE TWO CIVIL SERVICE BOARD TERMS AND THEN URBAN AGRICULTURE, THERE WAS ANOTHER RESIGNATION, THAT LETTER THAT WE RECEIVED THIS WEEK THAT WILL BE ON THE NEXT AGENDA. SO I'LL SEND THAT INFORMATION AROUND AGAIN, BECAUSE THERE'S QUITE A FEW VACANCIES ON URBAN AG. NOW, JUST TO BRING IT BACK TO THE TOP OF THE LIST. AND THEN THE OTHERS WERE JUST MOVING FORWARD, APPLICATIONS COMING IN AND I KEEP I'LL GET A LIST THAT I'LL BE PASSING OVER TO THE MAYOR THIS WEEK. AWESOME. THANK YOU, MISS OSCAR, AND THANK YOU TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND ALL YOUR STAFF'S WORK ON OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN ADDITION TO THIS APPOINTMENT PROCESS. I KNOW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE BUSY AND WE'VE GOT ELECTIONS SOON, SO THAT'LL BE FUN. ANY FURTHER, AND ESPECIALLY I'VE BEEN VERY HAPPY COLLEAGUES TO SEE THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE CIVILIAN APPEAL BOARD. THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATION WITH THAT IN COMMUNITY, AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT WE'RE HAVING NEW FOLKS ADDED TO THIS BOARD. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR CONCERNS? COLLEAGUES? I JUST GOT ONE. JUST ONE THING. A POLICY SURVEY OR REPORT CAME OUT. I'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU THAT TALKED ABOUT CITIES AND CITIES AND LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES HAVING TROUBLE FINDING MEMBERS TO SERVE ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. AND I'M VERY THANKFUL THAT WE HAVE THAT HASN'T BEEN AN ISSUE HERE THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, WHEN WE REALLY WANT, NEED SOMEONE TO FILL, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FILL, FILL OUR POSITIONS, AND CITIZENS HAVE BEEN STEPPING UP. I KNOW WE'RE A BIGGER CITY, SO WE HAVE A BIGGER POOL. BUT I MEAN, SOME OF THE SOME OF THESE SMALLER TOWNSHIPS, RIGHT? THEY'RE EVEN HAVING HARD TIMES FILLING THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS POSITIONS. SO SO I'M THANKFUL THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO FILL THESE CITIZEN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT WE HAVE STILL A LOT OF INTEREST IN APPLICATIONS COMING IN OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO SERVE. YEAH, I AGREE, MR. CLARK. THAT IS IT'S CERTAINLY A PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE. AND EVEN IF WE DON'T VOTE ON FOLKS FOR THEIR APPOINTMENTS, I CERTAINLY THANK THEM FOR THEIR THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. ALL RIGHT.SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT OR CONCERNS, WE WILL ADJOURN THE
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.