North St. Paul Park and Recreation Commission elects Laura Greenlee Karp chair, Sarah Zarekka vice chair

The North St. Paul Park and Recreation Commission elected Laura Greenlee Karp as chair and nominated Sarah Zarekka as vice chair for 2025 during the commission’s Jan. 22 meeting.

Commissioner Ingrid Kohler moved the nomination, saying, “the motion is for, Laura Greenlee Karp to be chair and Sarah Zareca to be vice chair for 2025.” The motion received a second and commissioners voted to approve the officers.

The commission discussed the responsibilities of the two roles before the vote. Commissioners described the chair’s duties as facilitating meetings, enforcing Robert’s Rules and presenting commission positions to other city bodies, with the vice chair supporting those duties and running meetings when the chair is absent. Lloyd Gracek said he was “fine with it” and was ready to step down from chair duties to let others serve.

Commissioners also discussed whether it was appropriate to nominate an absent commissioner. Staff explained a nominee need not be present to be nominated or elected; if the nominee later declines, the commission can change officers at a subsequent meeting. Several commissioners said they would check with Zarekka before the February meeting; one commissioner reported having sent a text to her.

The new officers will serve through 2025; commissioners noted that they may revisit the appointments at a later meeting if the vice-chair declines. No formal tally of individual votes was recorded in the public transcript beyond the chair’s announcement that the motion passed.

The commission’s next regular meeting was identified in the meeting materials as the opportunity to confirm or change officer appointments if necessary.