Appointment could increase commission to six members
By Nathan R. Huff
As a dog with three legs, the town's planning commission is hobbling through the backlog of development applications, despite being two commissioners short.
The five remaining commissioners of the seven-member body at the year's start may soon have a new colleague, assuming the town council appoints one of the three applicants to the open seat.
Two of the three applicants for the commission have already been through the process. On May 1, Pamela Laurence and Scott Prawat were interviewed for former commissioner Sandy Decker's seat. The council delayed making any appointments, saying it wanted a chance to look at the possibility of reducing the number of commissioners to five.
After a meeting between the council and commission, it was agreed that the number would remain at seven, and that the commission would explore alternatives to shorten its lengthy meetings and to end the backlog of projects in the planning department. The commission has held additional meetings in recent weeks as part of that effort.
Since then, commission chairwoman Laura Nachison began a leave of absence for medical reasons, bringing the number of active commissioners down to five. If Laurence, Prawat or new applicant Peggy Marcucci is appointed, the commission would be an even six-members strong.
Some council members have expressed fears that a six-member commission could lead to tie votes, but the commission's voting past shows very few split votes. The biggest positive of appointing someone is that the commission won't have to worry as much about not having a quorum, Commissioner Lee Quintana said.
"I'm in favor of keeping the commission at seven," Quintana said, "and I hope [the council] appoints someone, assuming they can find a qualified person."
According to the applications filed by the prospective commissioners, only Marcucci has worked with the town government, serving on both General Plan task forces, the community services commission and the General Plan committee.
Laurence can claim the longest history in the town, having lived here for close to 10 years. Her past experience includes working as a supervisor and sales specialist for Lucent Microelectronics and Sun Microsystems.
Prawat is a dentist who practices in San Jose. His background includes formal education in architecture and construction, as well as in arts and science. A former applicant who said he believed the planning process was too adversarial, Prawat's application states he would like to see the planning commission be more helpful and user-friendly.
Within the commission, Paul Bruno has been appointed the new chairman, with Commissioner Jim Lyon stepping into the vice-chairman position while Nachison is on leave.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
