The Lake Orion Village Council voted 6-0 to appoint Hank Lorant to the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors during the council’s meeting on Monday.

Lorant will be a new member on the DDA board, replacing Treasurer Monica Squarcia, who was not reappointed to the board when her term expired at the end of October.

Council President Ken Van Portfliet makes the appointments to the DDA board and the village council votes to approve or disapprove of the appointments.

Lorant currently serves on the village’s planning commission with Van Portfliet.

Council Member Michael Lamb made a motion on Monday not to approve Burgess’s reappointment to the DDA board.

Burgess, who is the current chair of the DDA board, first joined the board in 2009 and is a business representative on the board. She and her husband own Builders Custom Flooring in Lake Orion.

After making the motion not to reappoint Burgess, Lamb cited her long tenure on the board and other concerns.

“I don’t think the board has made any real progress and it’s time for new blood,” Lamb said.

Council Member Sarah Luchsinger supported Lamb’s motion, which failed 4-2, with Van Portfliet, President Pro-Tem Jerry Narsh and Council Members Teresa Rutt and Doug Hobbs voting against the motion.

Van Portfliet, who sits on the DDA board with Burgess, then made a motion to reappoint Burgess to another term on the DDA board.

That motion passed 4-2, with Lamb and Luchsinger voting against.

The DDA Board of Directors has nine members whose terms are staggered. The board consists of local property owners, business owners and residents. Also on the board are a village council representative (Van Portfliet) and an Orion Township board member (Supervisor Chris Barnett).

The DDA board meets regularly on the second Tuesday of the month in council chambers at Village Hall, 21 E. Church St.

Online: downtownlakeorion.org. Agendas and meeting times are available on the village’s website, lakeorion.org, under the “Boards” tab. – By Jim Newell