The Essex Junction City Council on May 28 approved multiple appointments and reappointments covering regional boards, municipal administrative roles and an internal governance committee seat.

Regional and intermunicipal appointments: The council approved its slate of representatives to regional bodies, including appointing Kristen Gildea as the city's representative to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) with Dan Karen as alternate; Chris Ewan as CCRPC technical-advisory representative with Michael Gugheri as alternate; Chelsea Mandingo (Mandigo) as CCRPC Clean Water Advisory Committee representative; Amber Thibault as the city's Town Meeting TV representative with Marcus Serna as alternate; and George Tyler as the representative to the Winooski Valley Park District.

Reappointments: The council reappointed Susan McNamara Hill as city clerk for FY26 and reappointed Warren Spinner as tree warden. Council discussion included a brief review of how the city assesses outside contractors and professional services (auditor, attorney, engineer) and a note that staff will consider procurement policy updates and potential requests for proposals for some services in future budget cycles.

Governance committee appointment: After an executive session to discuss committee applications, the council voted to appoint Bethany Clark to the governance committee; the motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: The council's regional reps serve as the city's voting and advisory contacts on cross-jurisdictional issues including planning, transportation and water. Reappointing the city clerk and tree warden preserves continuity in core municipal functions. Councilors also discussed the value of regular performance reviews or RFP processes for long-standing professional-service contracts.

Action and votes: The council moved and seconded the appointment motions and recorded voice votes approving the list of regional appointments, the reappointments of McNamara Hill and Spinner, and the governance committee appointment of Bethany Clark.