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Carefree council appoints three to planning and zoning after eight-candidate process
Summary
After two-minute statements from eight applicants and a blind draw, the council appointed Peter Burns, Les Hardy and John Nimsky to four-year terms on the Planning & Zoning Commission; Burns received six votes, Hardy five and Nimsky four in the council’s first round of ballots.
The Carefree Town Council appointed three new members to its Planning and Zoning Commission after hearing two-minute statements from eight applicants and conducting a ballot vote.
Peter Burns, Les Hardy and John Nimsky were appointed to four-year terms. The council announced the first-round tally: Burns received six votes, Hardy five and Nimsky four; the other applicants received fewer than four votes. The council then approved a motion to accept the three by formal vote; the motion passed unanimously.
Council members described the candidate pool as strong and said they weighed experience, the ability to do research and to work constructively with staff when making selections. The appointment process used a random draw to order speakers; each applicant had two minutes to address the council.
Applicants who presented included Peter Burns (incumbent), Les Hardy, Janice Castro, Anton (Anton) Wilkie, Cynthia Bergen, Jen Neal, Pam Moss and John Nimsky. Several candidates emphasized preservation of Carefree’s small-town character, the need to review design guidelines and zoning code updates, and a desire to streamline permitting for residents.
Why this matters: Planning and zoning commissioners review development plans, variances and design reviews that affect town character and commercial viability. The new commissioners will also serve on the town’s Development Review Board and Board of Adjustment, and will be involved in work on the town center, code review and design guidelines identified in the council’s strategic plan.
The council invited applicants who were not selected to consider other volunteer opportunities on town boards and committees; the mayor and council said additional advisory bodies and task forces will be formed as strategic-plan work proceeds.
