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Select Board appoints five members, two alternates to Zoning Board of Adjustment
Summary
After discussing six applicants and RSA guidance on staggered terms, the Brentwood Select Board named Bruce Stevens (3 years), Frank Galbert (2 years), Reagan Elliott (2 years), Doug Cowie (1 year), and Stephen Hamilton (2-year alternate); Mindy Nordell was appointed as an alternate for a three-year term earlier in the sequence.
The Brentwood Select Board on April 15 filled openings on the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), appointing a mix of returning and new members and discussing RSA guidance on staggered terms.
After a staff explanation and candidate discussion led by Mark Kennedy, the board first appointed Mindy Nordell as a three-year alternate. The board then considered several configurations to achieve the staggered three-, two- and one-year terms RSA guidance calls for when filling multiple seats at once.
Following discussion about institutional knowledge and planning-board experience, the board made these appointments and term assignments in a series of motions and roll-call votes:
- Mindy Nordell — appointed alternate, three-year term (motion approved). - Stephen (Steve) Hamilton — appointed alternate, two-year term (motion approved). - Doug Cowie — appointed regular member, one-year term (motion approved). - Bruce Stevens — appointed regular member, three-year term (motion approved). - Frank Galbert and Reagan Elliott — appointed regular members, two-year terms (motion approved).
Board members and staff debated whether to prioritize planning-board experience or to introduce new faces. Mark Kennedy reviewed applicants’ prior service: several applicants had prior ZBA or planning-board experience, and candidates’ application checkboxes sometimes indicated willingness to serve as either voting member or alternate. Some board members argued for preserving institutional knowledge by appointing experienced participants; others favored new membership to bring fresh perspectives.
The board recorded votes and several roll-call exchanges during the motions. One motion to appoint Doug Cowie as an alternate failed (the transcript notes a 2–1–1 tally and then the motion did not pass); subsequent motions reorganized memberships and produced the final slate above. Appointees were asked to complete appointment paperwork and to sign appointment slips with the town clerk before the scheduled ZBA meeting on April 28.
The board also discussed RSA guidance on staggering appointments for land-use boards and noted that alternates for land-use boards carry three-year terms under the RSA language cited during the discussion.
