Fayetteville nominating committee forwards slate of board and commission nominees to city council

The Fayetteville nominating committee on Sept. 10 interviewed more than a dozen applicants for advisory boards and commissions and voted to forward a slate of nominees to the full City Council for confirmation at its next meeting. Chair Bob Stafford, Councilmember Sarah Moore and Councilmember Sarah Bunch conducted the interviews and then deliberated on candidates for planning commission, the board of adjustments, the construction board of appeals, the Town & Gown committee and the Urban Forestry Advisory Board.

"I'm the chair of the nominating committee," Stafford said at the meeting's start, noting the panel would present its recommendations to the full council the following Tuesday. The committee focused questions on applicants' professional experience, time availability and views about the city's 2040 plan, housing and growth.

Applicants repeatedly raised housing and planning issues. Several candidates with architecture or planning backgrounds said they wanted to help implement the 2040 plan and find ways to increase attainable housing while preserving neighborhood character. One applicant who said they work in housing reform described interest in "filling in the missing middle" with smaller, more affordable housing types; others emphasized walkability and mixed-use development.

Urban forestry and tree preservation drew strong attention in interviews for the Urban Forestry Advisory Board. Multiple applicants and committee members said the city must do more to ensure developers who remove large, mature trees appropriately mitigate net canopy loss and maintain replacement plantings. Nicholas Hyatt, a candidate with environmental-policy experience, flagged the problem of replacing century-old trees with saplings that may not survive without follow-up care.

The committee also pressed applicants on time commitments. Planning commissioners meet frequently and often review lengthy agenda packets; candidates acknowledged the weekly cadence and tours, and pledged to set aside several hours each week for preparation and follow-up.

After questioning, the committee deliberated and voted to forward the following nominations to the City Council: Carlo Bertani (full term) and Joe Donahue (unexpired term) for urban forestry positions; Andrew Brooks and Kelly Freeman for the construction board of appeals; Ashlyn Hollyfield for the Planning Commission; and Peter Norman for the Board of Adjustments. The committee recorded unanimous "ayes" from the three members on the motions to forward the slate.

The committee emphasized that forwarding a nominee is a recommendation; the full City Council will review and confirm appointments. Stafford closed the meeting by reminding applicants they could watch the council meeting or contact the city clerk the day after the vote to learn whether they were appointed.

The nominating committee's discussion highlighted three recurring priorities that the Council and staff will face as Fayetteville grows: balancing housing supply and neighborhood character, improving the speed and predictability of permitting and code processes, and strengthening enforcement and follow-up on tree-preservation requirements when development removes mature canopy.

The Council is scheduled to consider the nominating committee's slate at its next regular meeting; the committee said nominees will be announced at the beginning of that meeting.