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Council fills multiple boards and commissions vacancies, several seats decided after multiple ballots
Summary
The council made numerous appointments to boards and commissions, including Columbia Housing Authority resident seat, Disability Commission, Human Services Commission, Parks and Recreation Committee and Planning & Zoning Commission; some positions required multiple roll‑call ballots to reach the required vote threshold.
The Columbia City Council appointed candidates to several boards and commissions during the May 19 meeting, filling resident and at‑large vacancies in bodies that advise the city on housing, disabilities, human services, parks and planning.
Mayor Buffalo announced appointments to the Columbia Housing Authority: Anthony Allen was appointed to the CHA resident seat and Steven Smith to an at‑large seat (term ending May 31, 2029). The council also filled multiple seats on the Disability Commission; after council roll calls Joseph Facto was selected for a knowledge‑of‑interest vacancy (Facto received five votes) and Richard Perkins and Alexis Zimmerman were elected to significant‑disability vacancies (Zimmerman received six votes). Multiple round voting was required for some seats.
Megan Gilligan received six votes and was appointed to the Human Services Commission vacancy; Chad Henry (Ward 2) and Paul Morrison (Ward 3) were placed on the Parks and Recreation Committee without objection. Planning and Zoning Commission slots required repeated ballots: Kate Stockton, Cody Darr and Les Gray were among those who ultimately secured seats after several rounds of voting. For the Youth Advisory Council, Kate Carocchi was appointed to a term through 2028.
Why it matters: Boards and commissions shape city advisory work ranging from housing policy and disability access to land‑use review. Several seats required multiple ballots before achieving the required number of votes, demonstrating the council’s deliberative selection process. Council members reminded the public vacancies are posted and encouraged citizens to apply.
Process notes: Sheila (city clerk) called roll for each ballot; several rounds of voting were recorded on the public record for Planning & Zoning seats, reflecting that no candidate initially achieved the four‑vote threshold in those contests. The transcript includes inconsistent spellings for a few names across ballots; the city clerk’s official appointment records will provide final, authoritative spellings and term dates.
Implementation: Appointed members will begin their service as stipulate by their respective commission rules; the council noted the vacancy posting schedule and encouraged additional applications for future openings.
