Board approves Barbara Sklar; defers Astrid Harjati nomination amid conflict-of-interest concerns

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted on Sept. 15 on two mayoral appointments to the Arts Commission and took different actions on the nominees.

Barbara Sklar confirmed The board approved a motion to accept the mayor’s appointment of Barbara Sklar to the Arts Commission (term through July 1, 2011). A roll‑call vote recorded seven ayes and four no votes; the motion to approve the appointment passed and the companion motion to reject was defeated. Planning staff and Arts Commission representatives described Sklar as a longtime artist and a former Arts Commission president who is familiar with the commission’s charter responsibilities.

Astrid Harjati/Hayarti deferred after conflict concerns The board did not act to confirm Astrid Harjati (listed in some materials as Hayarty/Hyarty) in this meeting. Supervisors pressed concerns about whether an appointee who serves as “director of greening” in the mayor’s office — a position that reports to the mayor, according to staff testimony — can serve with full independence on the Civic Design Committee and Arts Commission. Several supervisors cited recent examples in which city executives stepped down from commission posts to avoid perceived conflicts. Some board members said the nominee could be well qualified but that the appearance of independence matters. After a roll‑call exchange and point of order about an eight‑vote threshold, supervisors voted to table the appointment; the motion to table passed 11–0.

Public and committee process Jill Manton, director of programs at the Arts Commission, spoke in support of both nominees and summarized Sklar’s exhibition history and Sklar’s past service as Arts Commission president. Manton said Harjati is a licensed landscape architect with international design experience who has worked on greening initiatives and had served in Chicago’s mayoral office. Both nominees were not present due to personal reasons, Manton said.

Why it matters The vote illustrates scrutiny by the board of supervisors over mayoral appointees who are city employees or close advisers to the mayor. Supervisors said they were not questioning legal eligibility but were concerned about the appearance of independence when a mayoral advisor serves on a commission that often reviews city projects where the mayor’s policies are implicated. Several supervisors asked for the nominee to be able to explain how she would balance the role and to provide more detail about the job duties that report directly to the mayor.

Next steps The Harjati nomination was tabled; the committee process and board may reconsider the appointment within the charter time windows for confirmations or rejections. Sklar’s reappointment was finalized.