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Jackson Appoints Revitalization Committee Members |
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008 |
 By Jennifer Wilson - The Jackson City Council on Monday appointed 11 members of the community to the new Jackson Revitalization Committee. City Manager Mike Daly said committee members were selected through an application and nominating process. All in all, 26 applications were received and a special nominating committee made 11 recommendations to the city council. The two city council members will be Connie Gonsalves and Wayne Garibaldi, and the two merchant positions will be held by Jane Wilkerson and Craig Murphy. Additionally, the committee will have two property owners, Lana Vukovich and Stanley Lukowicz; one Historic Jackson Business Association member, Aaron May; and one resident, Richard Hoffman. And finally, the committee will also have three members-at-large. It was recommended that District 1 Supervisor Elect John Plasse, Gary Little and Sally Bligh fill those spots. All of those were accepted, except for Plasse. Councilman Al Nunes was concerned about a conflict of interest with Plasse serving as a supervisor and on the committee. Several other council members also had reservations about what Councilman Andy Rodriguez called “the appearance of a conflict of interest,” and Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves agreed. Garibaldi was in support of Plasse’s appointment, adding that “he’s our elected representative in this area.” Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla made it clear that no one on the council doubted Plasse’s dedication and ability to perform on the Jackson Revitalization Committee, but that in light of the possible appearance of a conflict of interest, it may be better to appoint an alternate. During the course of the discussion, Gonsalves noted that Economic Development Committee member Shelley Scott has “spent a lot of time working on the (committee) and was the first to donate 250 dollars to the cause.” Plasse served on the Economic Development committee and according to Garibaldi, has “worked as hard, or even harder” than his fellow committee members. Plasse spoke to the council to inform that according to County Counsel Martha Shaver, there was “no conflict of interest in this situation.” Additionally, Plasse assured the council and the public that “should there be a conflict of interest, I would definitely recuse myself.” Nonetheless, the council voted 4 to 1 to replace John Plasse’s appointment with Shelley Scott, with Garibaldi dissenting.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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