Planning Commission chair denied reappointment by Council
Howard questions not being given ‘professional courtesy’ by officials
The Warren City Council voted unanimously not to approve the reappointment of Planning Commission Chairperson Jocelyn Howard Tuesday night.
The decision was one of many made by the Council at its regular April 13 meeting regarding appointments to various boards and commissions. Officials had tabled many of the appointments at its March meetings citing insufficient information about the applicants as a reason for delaying the decisions.
Howard, who has been on the
Planning Commission for 11 years, was not aware of what had transpired until asked about it Wednesday afternoon.
“It has been one of my greatest joys and an extreme honor to be on the Planning Commission and to be its chairperson the past five years,” said Howard.
Jeffrey Schroder of Plunkett Cooney law firm, special attorney for the City Council, cited section 4.2 of the City Charter, which says that persons are not eligible to serve in any city office if they have been convicted of a felony or if they are in default to the city. He defined default as “someone who owes the city money and has been notified of that fact and been given an opportunity to correct that.”
“It is not like the minute you are late on your water bill, you get thrown off the Planning Commission,” said Schroder. “There is a procedure in the Charter where the Council can ask the clerk to give them 30 days to come into compliance and pay their bills and if they do that, they can keep their position.”
Schroder said that procedure
applies to those currently seated on a board or commission but for someone who is being newly appointed or reappointed, the council can disapprove without going to the clerk.
Councilman Garry Watts said he conducted an investigation of all potential appointees and that the persons whose appointments were denied were in default to the city, specifically owing back property taxes or having unpaid water bills. A search on the city’s BS&A system showed Howard owes $1,338.05 in water bills with $864.80 being delinquent.
“I did an extreme amount of homework on these as I do on all of the agenda items,” said Watts. “I think it is important that if you are going to put your name in to run for office or be on a commission or something, you need to make sure that everything is right. It is not my intent to embarrass anybody; I am just following the Charter. I just want to do the right thing for our city and have people who truly care about what is going on.”
Howard was surprised that Planning Commission ex-officios and councilpersons Watts and Jonathan Lafferty did not approach her to ask for information or to tell her they believed she was in default to the city, adding she
felt blindsided by the Council’s action and felt she was not afforded an opportunity to rectify her past-due water bills prior to the Council making its decision on reappointment. Howard said she has paid her water bill in full and hopes to resubmit her application to the Planning Commission. Should she not be reappointed at that time, Vice Chair Jason McClanahan would assume the chairperson position.
“In most communities, there is a professional courtesy where someone in my position is made aware of an issue and given time to rectify it,” said Howard. “I was not afforded that opportunity. I did have an outstanding water bill, which I rectified immediately, but I am concerned about the process with which this was done.”
Howard believes evaluation of appointees should include consideration of their accomplishments. She pointed to several things the Planning Commission has done during her tenure including the recent revision of the city’s Master Plan, something that had not been done in more than 50 years.
“There is a plethora of new development to move this city forward,” said Howard. “I think the City Council should not be accessing fault and trying to trigger individuals. We should not be at odds. We are beholden to the citizens, not anything else, and I would hope that my record speaks for itself.”
President of the Official Macomb County Black Caucus Joel Rutherford responded to the Council’s disapproval of Howard and Tweeted: “I’m not surprised. This council will do what it can to remove and have no Black residents on important boards. Of course nothing is said or done by council over Kabacinski’s criminal charges.”
Rutherford said he was referring to Councilman Eddie Kabacinski’s actions during a protest in Eastpointe last year where he allegedly chased and handcuffed a Black Lives Matter protester. He was charged with impersonating a police officer and assault and battery; a trial date has not yet been scheduled.
Howard notes there has been well-documented tension between the City Council and Mayor James Fouts and his administration which, at times, can affect individuals not directly involved in the conflict.
“Whenever there is tension, there will be collateral damage,” said Howard. “Individuals that have nothing to do with what is going on are affected. You can’t operate a city in a constant spirit of contention. No department should operate outside of unity and we should all remember that you do not have to demean someone to solidify your own position.”
In addition to Howard, the Council also denied the appointment of Angela Middleswart and Gena Benson to the Crime Commission; Stefano Militello to the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority; Jeff Dunne to the Sidewalk and Tree Board of Review; and Maher Waad, Joseph Tringale and Shant Shirinian to the Tax Increment Finance Authority.
The rest of the appointments were either received and filed or not removed from the table and remain in limbo. With some appointments, the Council can disapprove or simply receive and file to confirm the appointments. With other appointments, such as Planning Commission seats, Council approval is needed.
Council Secretary Mindy Moore said she prepared a letter to Mayor James Fouts for each board or commission where appointees were being considered and asked for additional information about the appointees. She said the administration did confirm that all members of the Planning Commission live in Warren and attendance records were provided for that body, but that the Council was still waiting for other requested information for other commissions.
Appointments that were received and filed include: Laura Bailey, Wanda Baum, James Busch, Giuseppe Gianano and Rita Shutran to the Disabilities Commission; Michelle Nard, Connie Bonkowski, Eleanor Bates, Nancy Keen, Linda Norman and Carol Peterson of the Beautification Commission;
Tracy Antrikin, Kelly Kelmar, Michael RIley and Roger Roy to the Crime Commission; Rustico Teodoro to the Cultural Commission; Sue Keffer, David Rent, Christopher Werner, Madelyn Zamora, Becky Hetchler and Darlyne Slicker to the Historical Commission; Richard Palmer, Chris Doebler, Zofia Sylwanowicz Ladak, Donald J. McIntosh, Frank Pasternak and Annette Majka to the Library Commission. Appointments that remain tabled include: Merle Boniecki,
Syed Rob and Nathan Vinson / Planning Commission; Faisal Ahmed / Board of Review; Mike Smith and James Yarema / Brownfield Redevelopment Authority; Dennis Bostick, Hank Riberas, Oscar Zamora, Gregory Jackson and Michael Wiegand / Downtown Development Authority; Moses Coleman and Tina Petersmark / Senior Health Care Commission; Hilary Kutella,Mark Taylor, Roy Gruenburg and Hassen Charara / Tax Increment Finance Authority.