Title
Appointments to the Economic Sustainability Commission (ESC)
PURPOSE: This agenda item is for the Town Council to make appointments to the Economic Sustainability Commission.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Town Clerk
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Contact
CONTACT INFORMATION: Wendy Welsh, Interim Town Clerk, 919-918-7310, wwelsh@carrboronc.gov
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan __X__Other
Council Direction Statement
The Town Council follows the Advisory Board Recruitment and Appointment Policy which was adopted on 11-21-2017. Text amendments to this policy were approved by the Town Council on 12-1-2020 and 4-13-2021, respectively, to the section entitled “Composition” which related to expanding the racial and ethnic diversity on advisory boards and commissions. It should be noted that the Advisory Board Recruitment and Appointment Policy has been evaluated using the Racial Equity Lens tool which was finalized in May 2023. A copy of this completed lens is attached here as Attachment D.
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Information
INFORMATION: The Economic Sustainability Commission is composed of ten (10) members, appointed by the Town Council.
• Three (3) residents of the Town, at least one of whom shall reside within the downtown area,
• Three (3) owners of businesses within the Town,
• Three (3) at-large members.
• The tenth member (the “liaison member”) shall be a member of the Arts Committee designated by the Arts Committee to attend meetings of the Economic Sustainability Commission.
The ESC currently has four (4) open seats with terms expiring in 2026. New appointees will be filling the partial termed seats. Members can serve one partial term and two full terms on this committee.
A new application was received by Tyler Huntington for a Business Owner seat on the board. Mr. Huntington has attended a meeting and David Jesse, Chair of the Committee, has recommended him for appointment. Mr. Huntington is a local business owner for over 24 years, a resident of Carrboro for over 30 years, has served on the Carrboro Business Association, and helps consult other small business owners to improve their operations.
A new application was received by Keagan James for an at-large seat on the board. Mr. James has attended a meeting and David Jesse, Chair of the Committee, has recommended him for appointment. Mr. James is a MPA student at UNC with a focus on the impacts of economic development measures on low-wage workers and has experience working in Economic Development at the municipal level.
A new application was received by Melba Ribeiro for an at-large seat on the board. Ms. Ribeiro has attended a meeting and David Jesse, Chair of the Committee, has recommended her for appointment. Ms. Ribeiro is a Healthcare Leader at UNC Health, a resident of Carrboro for eight years, has plenty of volunteer experience, and a background in economics.
All applications and chair forms are in Attachment B.
The ESC informational matrix is Attachment C.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: No Fiscal Impact
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Recommend Council appoint applicants to the Economic Sustainability Committee for a partial term appointment to fill vacant seats on the committee.
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