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Expressing a preference for protocol, the Mountain View City Council selected an incumbent to serve on the Environmental Planning Commission on Tuesday evening, while also noting the possibility that more seats could become available in the near future.
The City Council unanimously appointed Hank Dempsey, a public policy attorney, for another four-year term on the planning commission at their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
This year, there were three applicants vying for the opportunity to fill one seat on the planning commission – an advisory body that weighs in on important land use and zoning issues. In addition to Dempsey, the applicant pool included two engineers, Tina Pham and Douglas Woolverton.
The City Council noted that all three applicants were well-qualified for the position but ultimately selected Dempsey, expressing a preference for keeping an incumbent in the seat and stating that he had done a good job serving on the commission already.
Several council members encouraged Pham and Woolverton to reapply, noting the possibility that more seats could become vacant after the November election, as two commissioners, Chris Clark and José Gutiérrez, are running for City Council.
“I guess I shouldn’t put any bets down yet right now that there probably will be an opening on the EPC fairly soon. So, I hope that you will reapply again,” said Council member Margaret Abe-Koga.
All three candidates sailed through the questions posed by City Council members, which asked about their qualifications, potential contributions to the planning commission and thoughts on some of Mountain View’s most important land use policies.
Dempsey provided the most critical comments about the city’s land use plans, referring specifically to its general plan. “It feels like it’s receding into the background of influence in some ways,” he said, adding that a lot of it was because of the enforcement of state law. However, he said he is encouraged with the direction of the city’s precise plans and expressed support for the work being done to revitalize the downtown area in particular.
Dempsey also advocated for a little more skepticism when considering development projects, which often are presented to the planning commission before they head to council. “It’s very easy to get excited by projects that look fantastic. They can deliver all these things. And sometimes we just kind of forget Murphy’s Law and that a bunch of stuff is going to break,” he said, referring to the possibility of developers not having the funding available or sitting on permits for years.
Council members did not have any follow up questions for the candidates, commending them on the answers they provided and stating that this year was an especially strong applicant pool.
Council member Ellen Kamei also pointed out that the three applicants lived in different parts of Mountain View, an attribute that she says is important to have on the city’s advisory boards to represent different neighborhoods and life experiences.
While backing Dempsey, Kamei advocated for more gender diversity in future appointments on the planning commission, noting that it has six men and one woman currently serving on it. “I did talk to Chair Dempsey about this and how we can encourage more and hopefully if there are some changes in a couple of weeks, we’ll be able to discuss some future appointments,” she said.
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Pretty rich that Kamei wanted more gender diversity considering she appointed a female to the the city council when there is only one male.
Hahahahahahaha