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Residents push for EDC overhaul as council appoints five members
Summary
Multiple public commenters criticized the Seabrook Economic Development Corporation for weak transparency and called for new leadership; council appointed five members after debate and staggered terms to the EDC.
Dozens of residents addressed the Seabrook City Council during public comment on Nov. 19 urging change at the Seabrook Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and the council subsequently filled five EDC seats after a lengthy debate about term limits, experience and fresh perspectives.
Michelle Brown asked the council to insist on “leadership that’s committed to measurable outcomes and active communication with citizens,” saying recent EDC meetings have lacked routine progress reports and concrete metrics. Kelly Stewart said she had spoken with more than 400 residents who signed a recall petition and alleged longstanding communication failures and inconsistent enforcement by city staff. Angela Cervantes supplied a list of incumbent tenures and urged the council to consider new voices.
Council members discussed the merits of retaining long-serving members for institutional memory versus appointing new applicants with digital and marketing skills. After public testimony and council discussion, staff tabulated votes; the meeting record identified five top vote-getters (Summer Sanford, Terry Chapman, Ann Wacker, Paul Dunphy and Andrew Croce) and council set staggered 1‑ and 2‑year terms to reestablish turnover and continuity on the board.
Council members emphasized the need to ensure the EDC has a strong outreach function and recommended that appointees engage with existing businesses. No formal policy change to EDC staffing or bylaws was adopted at the meeting; council asked for ongoing evaluation of EDC performance going forward.
