TC Planning Picks Spark Debate Over Who’s Represented — And How

Two new members are set to join Traverse City’s planning commission after city commissioners voted Monday to confirm the appointments. But first the topic inspired debate after one commissioner – Jackie Anderson, who also sits on the planning commission – said the planning commission is becoming unfairly skewed geographically and professionally. Anderson also questioned the board’s age makeup. Other commissioners objected to putting appointees into demographic boxes and said doing so could discourage volunteers from stepping forward for the time-intensive roles.
 
Anderson was part of an ad hoc committee with Commissioner Lance Boehmer and Mayor Amy Shamroe that interviewed six candidates for two open spots. Planning commissioners David Knapp and Jess Heller are stepping off the board, creating vacancies for terms that go through November 2028. Under Michigan law, the mayor (or chief official of a municipality) appoints members of the planning commission. Those appointments must be approved by a majority of commissioners.
 
Protracted fights in the past over mayoral appointments in Traverse City led commissioners to adopt a new process. Now, a randomly selected ad hoc committee of commissioners – including the mayor to maintain compliance with the law – interviews candidates and makes recommendations to the commission. That process was followed in February and March when the ad hoc committee interviewed planning commission candidates.
 
However, the ad hoc’s recommendation – to appoint Michelle Reardon, a former Peninsula Township planning and zoning director who now works for PACE North and Dennos Museum Center Operations Manager Megan Holtrey – was supported by Shamroe and Boehmer but not Anderson. The two ‘yes’ votes still represent an ad hoc majority, so the candidates were presented for confirmation Monday.
 
Ahead of that vote, Anderson wrote a memo to commissioners outlining her concerns. She pointed to state law, which says that planning commissions must be “representative of important segments of the community” (the law cites a variety of industries as examples) and “representative of the entire territory of the local unit of government to the extent practicable.”
 
Anderson provided a table of current planning commissioners along with some of the applicants. She cited their industry, city neighborhood, and “social segment,” using categories like “Millennial,” “Gen X,” or “Boomer” to approximate ages. Several labels had question marks next to them where Anderson was giving her best guess as to personal data. Anderson said the table, which shows the six current members hailing from a variety of downtown and east-side neighborhoods, reflects a “strong skew toward members from the east side of the city.” The planning commission also has “strong representation from the Millennial generation and from white-collar professionals,” Anderson wrote.
 
Anderson was critical of appointing someone with a professional planning background, noting that the Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association supports a “broad representative citizen body over a board of specialized professionals.” She thus supported Holtrey but not Reardon. Her memo appeared to recommend Doug Kimble, a retired masonry contractor from Slabtown neighborhood.
 
“Even important neighborhoods like Slabtown have not historically been represented on the planning commission,” Anderson said Monday. She later said that by “ignoring the issue of geographic segments, I think we are getting into rather suspect territory relative to following that law.”
 
A memo from City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht and comments from commissioners contradicted Anderson’s claims. Trible-Laucht said the law’s representational requirement “suggests that professional planning expertise could actually enhance rather than disqualify commission membership.” The law “contains no language excluding individuals based on professional credentials, educational background, or expertise in planning disciplines, and I cannot find any case law or policy that would prohibit the same,” she wrote.
 
Shamroe pointed out that all three candidates in question represent new neighborhoods on the planning commission by Anderson’s own table. While Kimble was the only one from Slabtown, Holtrey would be the first Fernwood representative and Reardon the first Traverse Heights representative. Trible-Laucht also warned commissioners about using age as a factor in making appointments, saying it could be perceived as discriminatory.
 
Boehmer reiterated that point Monday. “I want to say plainly for the public record that I just don't think it's appropriate to categorize community members as simply as we saw here,” he said. “The people who apply to serve the city, they deserve better than being just a demographic cell on a table."
 
Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ness agreed, saying that community volunteers “help to impact and shape many important decisions in our community. My perspective is we should be lifting people up and expressing our gratitude, not bunching them into categories in ways that risks alienating future volunteers or our current volunteers from participation.” Boehmer noted that Reardon “brings a deep, direct, relevant experience in land use, housing, and planning,” while Holtrey brings “civic engagement, community roots, and a genuine desire to learn and contribute in making our city a better place.” 
 
Anna Dituri, chair of the planning commission, noted during public comment that many residents have been priced out of neighborhoods like Slabtown and encouraged commissioners to remember the “housing crisis” when considering geographic data. Other commissioners – like Ken Funk, who thanked Anderson for her “willingness to touch a sensitive subject” and Heather Shaw, who also thought a Slabtown voice would be “valuable” on the planning commission – defended the integrity of the ad hoc process overall.
 
Shamroe thanked commissioners for a process she said has significantly improved from mayoral appointments of the past. As evidenced by Monday’s discussion, the process now allows for “robust conversation and diverse voices” even if commissioners don’t always agree, she said. Commissioners voted 6-1 to appoint Reardon and Holtrey to the board, with Anderson casting the sole ‘no’ vote.