Citizen urges delay in appointments; council appoints four to Head Co board

A resident urged the Henderson City Council to delay appointments to the Head Co board, saying some applicants were not interviewed and alleging premature communication to select candidates. Todd, the lone speaker during public comment, asked the council to "table the recommendations to fill the head co vacancies" and said "not all applicants were interviewed," calling that "an undeniable procedural flaw" that undermines fairness and transparency.

Todd singled out Cindy Walker as a qualified candidate who he said was not granted an interview: "Cindy Walker who was not even granted an interview for the Landmark Preservation Committee," he said, adding that people had been told they were chosen before the council had considered recommendations. He asked that the interview committee be composed entirely of elected council members and urged the council to "make sure that every single applicant is interviewed and given a fair shot."

After an executive session and reconvening to regular session, the council moved forward with appointments. A motion carried to appoint Michael Marshall to Place 6, Courtney Smith to Place 3 (to fill an unexpired term), Michael Bell to Place 4, and Justin Pirtle to Place 5. Council Member Strong moved the appointment motion and Council Member Martin seconded; the motion passed with an affirmative voice vote.

The meeting record shows the contrast between the citizen's request to delay consideration for additional review and the council's subsequent approval of the interview committee's recommendations. The transcript does not record a council explanation responding directly to Todd's allegations about omitted interviews or confirm whether Cindy Walker had been interviewed; it records only the request by the speaker and the council's final appointments.

The appointments are effective immediately as recorded in the meeting minutes. The council also noted it had convened in executive session to consult with the city attorney earlier in the meeting and announced there was no reportable action from that closed session.