Appointments – Our view: Step up, be consistent

It’s a practice city councils complete annually. And in Glencoe’s case, it left us wondering.
Mayor Ryan Voss appoints, with council approval, council members to serve on the city’s various boards. Why are four members of the city council on commissions – councilors Sue Olson, Paul Lemke, John Schrupp and Cory Neid – while Councilor Allen Robeck opted to remain on the sidelines?
Neid was a late addition to the library board. Olson is serving on the airport commission and the park board. Voss asked Robeck, who frequently asks questions about how the airport is run, to serve on the airport commission. He declined the request.
Lemke is the appointee to the planning commission and economic development commission, a group that meets behind closed doors and makes recommendations to the city council on how the city should spend taxpayers’ dollars.
Schrupp serves on the light and power board, five people who arguably make decisions impacting every resident of the city.
Councilors also argued at the organizational meeting over which boards have councilors serving full appointments as voting members and which board which boards have council members serving as liaisons who don’t vote and report back to the council.
Currently, only the park board and light and power board have full appointments while other boards have councilors serving as liaisons.
We encourage the city council to find a way for believe all commissions and boards deemed worthy of the presence of a council member to be represented by either a councilor serving as a full appointee or a liaison. Be consistent.
We also believe Mr. Robeck needs to step up and serve. He’s a smart man with perspective to offer. If he has concerns about the airport, Councilor Robeck should serve on the commission. He can’t complain but do nothing to enact a solution.
- jm