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Forest Park council approves multiple board appointments after debate over nomination process
Summary
Council approved appointments to the Downtown Development Authority, Development Authority, Urban Redevelopment Agency, Public Arts Review Board and a development impact fee advisory committee after members debated returning to ward-level nominations versus staff recommendations.
The Forest Park City Council approved a slate of appointments on Feb. 2 after a work-session discussion about how candidates are selected.
Staff from the Office of Economic Development presented statutory background (OCGA citations) and recommended candidates for several boards. For the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), staff recommended appointment of the mayor, Bernard Solomon (AtWork Employment Staffing), and Bambi Hayes Brown; the council later approved the DDA appointments.
The council also considered Development Authority recommendations, including reappointing Rhonda Wright and appointing Daniel Ray Allen, Taylor King and Akinya Rock. During the work session several council members pushed for greater ward representation and urged that each councilmember be allowed to nominate candidates from their wards; other councilmembers and staff said staff had thoroughly vetted applicants and that practical constraints (limited volunteers in some wards) might require staff-supported appointments.
After executive session the council appointed Sharita Sutton and Taylor King to the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA), confirmed four public arts review board members (Casey Lazaro, Courtney Hurst, Annika Jones, and Anne Keith) and named seven members to the development impact fee advisory committee (Latron Price, Kenyatta Johnson, Kenya Rock, Mandela Jones, Bernard Solomon, Derek Bostic, and Clifford Pellegreen). Multiple motions were made and seconded and carried by voice vote; at least one abstention was recorded on a Development Authority vote.
Council members said they would continue to balance the desire for ward-specific representation with the need to fill board vacancies and meet statutory residency and property-ownership requirements. No ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting; the discussion focused on appointments and process.
Next steps: The appointed members will be seated under the terms discussed by staff (staggered terms recommended); the council indicated it may revisit URA board size and appointment procedures in future meetings.
