to: Mayor and Town Council
from: Jim Ward, Mayor Pro Tem and Interim Sustainability Committee Chair Sustainability Committee
subject: Petition to Increase Committee Membership Size and Add UNC Liaison
date: June 25, 2008
On February 25, 2008, the Council appointed nine individuals to the Town Sustainability Committee. Prior to the Committee’s first meeting on April 29, 2008, Marie Principe resigned from her position because she was moving to Washington, D.C. Ms. Principe was originally appointed to serve as one of three members representing the social equity focus area.
Subsequently, the Committee reviewed all of the applications on file and met with those applicants who identified themselves as having a higher level of expertise in the social equity focus area. At their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, the Committee met to discuss a possible recommendation for the vacancy in the membership. As part of this discussion, the Committee noted its continued interest in adding minority representation to its membership as well as a desire to gain two highly qualified and unanimously supported candidates from the current application pool. The Committee also noted its strong interest in creating a non-voting University of North Carolina liaison position to provide an additional resource on Sustainability matters as they relate to the University.
In light of this discussion, the Committee unanimously passed a motion to petition the Council to increase the size of the membership from nine (9) to eleven (11). The Committee believes that this change would enable the advisory board to take advantage of the additional talents, resources and overall expertise offered by two existing applicants, while also providing the Committee with the flexibility necessary to continue its strong interest in adding minority representation. In addition, the Committee unanimously expressed its desire to petition the Council to create a non-voting University of North Carolina liaison position.
We have attached for the Council’s consideration an amended version of the Sustainability Committee enabling legislation that modifies the original language to accommodate both the proposed increase of the membership size from nine (9) to eleven (11) and the creation of a non-voting University of North Carolina liaison position.
Should the Council decide to take action on this petition tonight, we ask that the Council also consider the Committee’s unanimous recommendation to appoint Tom Greene and John Noor to the Sustainability Committee as part of a related appointment item.
By Consensus: Jim Ward (Interim Chair), Yonni Chapman, Barbara Driscoll, Julia
Gohlke, Josh Gurlitz, Thomas Henkel, Paulo Nery, Hank Rodenburg