CCMIN092099 - Laserfiche WebLink

not believe it was appropriate for a person to be appointed to the Planning Commission who has already taken a position against the General Plan. A developer seeking a decision on whether a project is consistent with the General Plan should be facing a legislative body consisting of members with open minds. The Planning Commission is not a political body. Ms. Michelotti indicated she would also vote against the Planning Commission appointment. She served on the Planning Commission for nine years and felt it should be an impartial body that makes recommendations to the City Council. The Commission is not accountable to the electorate. She regretted not being able to discuss this among the Councilmembers before the appointment was made. She reiterated her position that the Planning Commission should be a non-political body that works to give the best planning decisions possible. Mr. Tarver referred to the comment about Council discussions after interviews for commissioners. He was concerned about violating the Brown Act. The procedure is for the entire Council to participate in the interviews and give recommendations to the Mayor. The difficulty arises when there is Council discussion of who of the applicants will get three votes. Each Councilmember is entitled to vote no, but that is out of character with the intentions of the process. He believed the Planning Commission appointments are political or there would be no need for the entire Council to be involved in the interview process. He believed the Council should review the qualifications and community involvement of the applicants and determine who will have time to do the job. It is difficult not to show a political point of view when answering questions about a political issue. He had confidence that his recommendation will do the job to the best of his ability. Ms. Ayala indicated Councilmembers were careful to ask the same questions of each candidate. She asked about the CAPP initiative. She hoped that Mr. Arkin would represent the community. Council is elected to represent the community and if the community doesn't like what it does, it has the power not to reelect them. She did not want to take every one-acre parcel to the ballot, which she believes the CAPP Initiative will require. She hoped Mr. Arkin would step beyond the political process and evaluate in his own mind what his role is and make decisions based on facts. She hoped that people in the community will understand they are represented and will not find it necessary to put every single item on the ballot. It was moved by Mr. Pico, seconded by Ms. Ayala, to adopt Resolution No. 99-120, appointing Harvey Kameny as a regular member of the Planning Commission, and appointing Brian Arkin as an alternate member of the Planning Commission, which terms expire on September 30, 2003. 4 09/20/99 Pleasanton City Council Minutes