One appointment to the Lake Orion Planning Commission didn’t go smoothly at a recent village council meeting.
The village council president appoints planning commission members, but fellow council members have to approve his suggestion.
Current president Bill Siver on June 9 had no problem getting an OK to his appointment of Ed Roberts to fill a PC vacancy for a term that ends April 30, 2005.
Roberts had been a candidate in the March election for a seat on the village council.
Siver also had to fill two planning commission terms (Michael Hadley and Ron Zilka) that had expired this April.
He told council members he was appointing Chuck Viers and reappointing Zilka. As a former president of the village council, Viers has served on the PC before.
Siver described both men as experienced in planning commission matters.
Tom Albert, who was council president in 2002, protested that Hadley should be reappointed, He asked Siver his reasoning for not reappointing Hadley.
Siver said it was because both Hadley and Zilka live on Park Island. Viers lives on Crescent.
According to Siver, he had other reasons, but it would be better to talk about them after the meeting.
Albert told Siver he hadn’t been on the planning commission long enough (the council president is also a member of the PC) to know enough about Hadley.
Councilman Douglas Dendel also thought Hadley should stay on the planning commission. He said it’s a volunteer position and if people are doing their job they should be able to continue to do it.
According to Dendel, Hadley expressed an interest in being reappointed.
Dendel didn’t believe the geographical reason was valid either because he and Viers both live on Bellevue Island.
Council members voted 5-2 to appoint Viers. Zilka was reappointed.