The New Haven Board of Alders’ appointments committee said it would not have a quorum and discharged the appointment docket without formal action, and public testimony focused on preserving continuity for the Environmental Advisory Council.

The committee chair, Rosa Flores, told applicants at the start of the meeting that “we will not have a quorum this evening. I want everyone to know. So we will have to discharge it, from the committee with no action.” The committee had said later in the meeting that it needed four members to make decisions, and several nominees were heard but not formally confirmed.

Why it matters: the docket included more than a half‑dozen nominations to advisory bodies that shape city policy — including the Environmental Advisory Council, the Board of Ethics, the New Haven Parking Authority, the Peace Commission and the Youth Commission — and several reappointments. Without formal confirmation by the committee, those nominations will return to the Alders for future consideration or require separate scheduling.

Most of the evening’s public testimony and discussion centered on candidates for the Environmental Advisory Council. Mary Woolsey, who applied to serve as an alternate on that council, said she has long experience on environmental issues: “I’ve been attending meetings for the past, 4 or 5 years, and I’m very concerned about environmental issues in the future. I’ve been involved in trying to improve air quality by regulating gas powered, lawn equipments.” Kiara Chavera, another applicant for the Environmental Advisory Council, said she is “a finance and accounting professional” who works for nonprofits and would like to be “more involved with the environment and the place where I live.”

Laura Khan, who identified herself as chair of the Environmental Advisory Council, urged the Alders to confirm members with experience and steady attendance. “I want to make sure the Environmental Advisory Council is left in good hands,” Khan said, noting the council’s workload and the technical documents it reviews. Khan described long, technical reviews the council has undertaken — including airport expansion filings and studies about ultrafine particulate matter — and said volunteers who have not attended meetings previously struggle to keep up.

The committee docket listed the following orders (as printed on the agenda): LM20250175 (appointment of Jera Shanti to the Environmental Advisory Council), LM20250189 (appointment of Mary Woolsey as an alternate to the Environmental Advisory Council), LM20250186 (appointment of Matthew Watson to the Board of Ethics), LM20250174 (appointment of Kimberly Pedrick to the New Haven Parking Authority), LM20250171 (appointment of Paul Bloom to the Peace Commission), LM20250203 (appointment of Steven Regalis Nagaria to the Youth Commission), LM20250218 and LM20250214 and LM20250215 (reappointments to the Affordable Housing Commission), LM20250173 (reappointment of Joshua James to the Board of Assessment Appeals), and LM20250172 (reappointment of Alicia Crutchfield to the Cultural Affairs Commission). The agenda items were available, the chair said, in the office of legislator services.

Procedural actions: the committee closed the public‑comment portion by voice vote. The transcript records members saying “aye” to close public comment; no roll‑call tally or mover was recorded in the public record. Because the committee did not have the four members required to act, Flores said the docket would be discharged from committee without action. Flores also said, as a recommendation, that Mary Woolsey be moved to a permanent seat and that Kiara Chavera be appointed as an alternate and that applicants be given a week to withdraw if desired; she framed that as her recommendation rather than a formal committee confirmation. A member present said “no objection” after that recommendation and the chair said the motion carried; the transcript does not show a formal, recorded committee confirmation of those appointments.

What’s next: Flores told applicants that staff (Misty) would contact them after the committee meets again — the chair said the committee typically meets on Mondays and that decisions would be confirmed at a later meeting once a quorum is present. Several nominees said they would wait for staff to notify them about approval and start dates.

The hearing included a mix of applicants describing qualifications (Mary Woolsey, Kiara Chavera, Matthew Watson, Kimberly Pedrick, Paul Bloom, Steven Regalis Nagaria) and public testimony from Laura Khan urging experienced members for the Environmental Advisory Council. The committee did not take final votes on the listed LM orders because it lacked a quorum.