Building Inspection Commission swears in code advisory committee members; one appointment deferred

The Building Inspection Commission on Aug. 15 swore in most members of the city’s Code Advisory Committee while deferring one contested appointment to allow further review of the candidate’s qualifications.

President Walker read the oath of office and swore in the present appointees, including Jerome Cunningham (registered fire protection engineer), Ira Dorter (public member), Edgar Fenny (major projects architect) and others. The commission set the terms for the newly appointed and reappointed members to expire Aug. 18, 2010.

The session opened with a question about whether a seat described in the draft roster as “small business” should instead be designated “small projects civil engineer.” Commissioner Lee said Stephen Harris, nominated to the small‑projects civil engineer seat, “works occasionally in small projects” but not primarily, and asked whether the commission had discretion to appoint him when no other applicants had applied. DBI staff asked for time to review the code language and the applicant’s resume and recommended continuing Harris’ appointment until the next meeting.

Public member Ned Fenny urged the panel to fill vacancies quickly, saying a long‑standing vacancy had hindered the code committee’s structural subcommittee quorum. After discussion, commissioners moved, seconded and voted to appoint the listed candidates except Stephen Harris and to schedule Harris’s seat for further review at a subsequent hearing.

The commission’s action today left in place terms for those sworn in and directed staff to ensure any missing oath or paperwork be completed. No further formal action on Harris’s appointment was taken; staff said they would bring any recommendation back at the next meeting.

The commission also welcomed new DBI executive‑team appointments earlier in the meeting, including Sean McNulty as manager for inspection services and Vivian Day as manager for the One‑Stop Permit Center.