Ivins mayor’s recommendation to reappoint Pam Gardial wins council approval amid calls for a more transparent process

Mayor recommended that the council reappoint Pam Gardial to the Ivins Planning Commission at the March 20 meeting, citing her service during the general‑plan revision and her detailed contributions. The mayor noted he had reviewed candidate applications and that Gardial’s experience and continuity would benefit implementation of recently adopted planning documents.

Council members raised concerns about the appointment process and recommended a future agenda item to consider a more transparent selection method that would allow public interviews of candidates before advice and consent. One councilmember said a down‑vote can be interpreted as a negative statement about a candidate and preferred a process that allows multiple candidates to be interviewed publicly.

A motion to approve Resolution No. 2025‑02R reappointing Pam Gardial was made, seconded and passed on a roll‑call vote.

Why it matters: The planning commission plays an important role in implementing the city’s general plan and reconciling ordinance language; councilmembers emphasized the value of experience while some asked for reform to the appointment process to increase transparency.

Gardial was reappointed for a new term and will continue participating in planning-implementation work; council asked staff to bring a process-review item to a future meeting.