Hollywood City Commission approves dozens of advisory‑board appointments; narrows city attorney search to four semifinalists

Mayor Steve Levy opened the May 28 special meeting at Hollywood City Hall by saying, “Welcome to City Hall…we have the opportunity to appoint citizens to serve on our advisory boards.” The commission considered applications and heard short public remarks before voting to fill seats on multiple advisory bodies and to identify semifinalists for the city attorney search.

The appointments determine membership on boards that advise the commission on pensions, historic preservation, planning, housing, arts, parks and recreation, and other city programs. The decisions put new and returning residents into roles that will guide grant recommendations, public‑art selections, housing policy and project oversight.

The commission approved nomination slates for a long list of boards. Most motions carried unanimously; the Historic Preservation Board slate passed 6–1. Appointments covered the Civil Service Board, Employees’ Retirement Board, Historic Preservation Board, Planning & Development Board, Hollywood Housing Authority, Sister Cities Advisory, GO Bond Oversight Advisory Committee, Hispanic Affairs Council, Community Development Advisory Board, African American Advisory Council, Sustainability Advisory Committee, Education Advisory Committee, Artwork Selection Committee, Marine Advisory Board, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Advisory Board, and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. For each board the commission either reappointed incumbents or selected new members from the pool of applicants who addressed the commission in person.

Votes at a glance (board — outcome — key appointees listed in transcript): - Civil Service Board — approved unanimously — appointed Dr. Blake Parker (private‑sector seat), Dr. Jolene Malone (reappointment), David Bennett (reappointment), Mitch Anton (reappointment). - Employees’ Retirement Fund Board of Trustees — approved unanimously — reappointed Barbara Armond and Jeffrey Green. - Historic Preservation Board — approved 6–1 — appointed Diana Pitarelli (real‑estate broker/salesperson) and Stephanie Bendoyam as alternate; (commission record noted additional appointments/alternates as part of the slate). - Planning & Development Board — approved unanimously — appointed Joseph Stadlin (design member), Odalys Delgado (professional member) and Christine Corbeau (citizen at large). - Hollywood Housing Authority Board of Commissioners — approved unanimously — reappointed Alberto Collazo (resident member) and appointed Julie Howe, Sarah Lavanca, Aaron Marvasti and Octavia Mills (citizen at large seats / reappointments noted where applicable). - Sister Cities Advisory Board — approved unanimously — appointed Christine Corbeau and Jesse Hernandez (Mayor Levy recused from this vote due to a disclosed conflict). - GO Bond Oversight Advisory Committee — approved unanimously — reappointed existing members and added Chris Kanter and Mitch Anton to fill current vacancies; commission left additional seats open for future student ambassador appointees. - Hispanic Affairs Council — approved unanimously — appointed Valeria Molina‑Almodovar, Jesse Hernandez, Christina Molina (as listed), and Maribel Ruiz; the commission directed staff to recruit for remaining seats and to draw lots for term lengths where necessary. - Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) — approved unanimously — appointed a slate of local LMI‑area residents and subject‑matter applicants (including Mitch Anton as reappointed chair and a mix of new LMI residents and professionals) to the ten‑member board with two alternates. - African American Advisory Council (AAAC) — approved unanimously — appointed eight applicants to the newly formed council: Susie Dormeville, Carmela Gardner, Cynthia Herat, Georgette Lasley, Marcus Moyse, Deborah Reeves, Nicole Rowe and Valerie Weldon. - Sustainability Advisory Committee — approved unanimously — appointed business member Lucas Pols, citywide members Liliana Pacielli, Adam Roberti and Peter Schechter, and student member Zachary Manasseh; staff noted two additional citywide openings created by resignations. - Education Advisory Committee — approved unanimously — teacher and community members selected (including Carlos Garrido as teacher member) and a student alternate named. - Artwork Selection Committee — approved unanimously — appointed Alexander Anapolsky, Stephanie Bendoyam, Tory Giddings, Robert Guljar and Alejandra Palacios; commissioners also directed the Art & Culture Center executive director to designate a center representative for the committee. - Marine Advisory Board — approved unanimously — reappointed Richard Niffin as the marine‑industry professional member and named John McMillan (Hollywood resident) and other members (Jay Kimmel, John McCarthy and Tara Faso) plus youth member Zachary Manasseh. - Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Advisory Board — commission expanded the board and approved multiple new members (including Claire Garrett, Michael Gomez, Vic Lebowski, Christina Riccio and Andrea Dora Smith) to increase capacity following consolidation of Arts Park responsibilities. - Affordable Housing Advisory Committee — approved unanimously — staff and commissioners assembled a slate that met the statutory composition requirements (residents, advocates, real‑estate professionals, service providers and alternates); named members include Maximiliano Rica (resident), Julie Howe (employer representative), Chris Kanter (essential services), Nicole Rowe (advocate) and alternates where required.

Several appointees addressed the commission before votes. For example, Joseph Stadlin described his experience as a licensed building contractor and reappointed planning member; Odalys Delgado outlined a long planning career and said she would prefer the Planning & Development Board but was also open to historic preservation work; Michael Gold and Christine Corbeau each made the case for structured growth and zoning priorities in their remarks to the commission.

City attorney search narrowed to four semifinalists Commissioners also used the meeting to narrow the city attorney recruitment. By vote the commission invited four candidates for in‑person semifinalist interviews: Alexander Boxner, Damaris Henlin, Doug Harrison and Angela Rosenberg. The commission agreed the semifinalists should be invited to appear for structured interviews (the commissioners favored a group interview format so all commissioners could question each semifinalist). The commission asked staff to schedule those interviews as soon as candidates’ calendars permit.

What happens next Appointees will receive official appointment letters and information about first meeting dates and any orientation materials. For boards that still have vacancies the commission asked staff to continue recruiting, including outreach to youth ambassadors for student seats and to the Art & Culture Center for its designee to the Artwork Selection Committee. The city attorney semifinal interviews will be scheduled and publicized in advance; commissioners said they expected to hold the in‑person interviews within the coming weeks.

Attendance and process notes The meeting ran several hours and involved dozens of applicants; commissioners generally moved in slate form when applicants qualified for discrete category slots, and they used roll calls to resolve contested alternate seats. Where applicants were not present, the commission sometimes deferred appointments or left seats open for later recruiting. One vote (Historic Preservation) recorded a 6–1 result; most other votes were unanimous. Mayor Levy recused himself from the Sister Cities vote due to a disclosed conflict.

The meeting transcript and recorded applicant statements provide the primary record of the appointments and the candidates’ remarks. Additional documentation — staff summaries, applicants’ resumes and city code references for several boards — will be posted with each board’s formal appointment paperwork.