Authority appointments delayed
If Fayette County Commissioner Sean M. Cavanagh had his way, the commissioners would be voting today on reappointing Angela M. Zimmerlink to the Fayette County Housing Authority and Jesse Wallace to the Fayette County Airport Authority. Cavanagh made a motion at Tuesday’s agenda meeting to fill those unpaid posts and others, but Commissioners Ronald M. Nehls and Vincent A. Vicites said they saw no need to rush the decisions on appointing board members.
“We normally wait until the first meeting in January,” said Vicites, who noted that a host of board positions need filled by reappointment or new candidates.
Nehls asked, “Do we have to do this at this stage of the game?” and added that Cavanagh was “way ahead” of him in terms of preparation to vote for specific candidates.
While Vicites and Nehls were in no hurry to tackle any of the board appointments this week, Cavanagh said that he was prepared to vote today on the ones that are most obvious, starting with the two slots on the five-person housing authority board.
“I think the housing authority’s pretty much the simplest,” said Cavanagh. While he has come out strongly in favor of giving Zimmerlink another five-year term on the housing board, Cavanagh is open to replacing the Rev. Howard E. Dantzler Sr., who has also expressed an interest in being reappointed.
Cavanagh said he was also ready to fill four slots on the Mental Health/Mental Retardation Advisory Board, as well as open slots on the North Fayette County Municipal Authority and the Fayette County Conservation District.
“I don’t see where in the world we would have a problem (doing that this week),” said Cavanagh.
After county manage Warren Hughes confirmed that the conservation district slot needs filled by Dec. 31 to avoid a repeat of a lengthy selection process, Nehls asked if the votes on all board positions could be delayed until Dec. 27. That’s when the commissioners hold a special meeting to adopt the 2003 budget.
When Vicites said he was agreeable to that 16-day delay, Cavanagh proclaimed, “So the lobbying effort (for the housing authority spots) will continue through Dec. 27.”
Vicites said that while he hasn’t made up his mind about any appointments, he’s received lots of “helpful” public input regarding the housing authority, which would assist him in making up his mind.
Cavanagh said that if Vicites is getting the same type of feedback as he is, the arena of public opinion is decidedly pro-Zimmerlink. “If that’s the case, Angela Zimmerlink’s a shoo-in,” said Cavanagh.
Although not much public attention has been focused on the airport authority board, Cavanagh went on record as supporting Wallace, the current chairman.
“I’m personally in favor of keeping Jesse Wallace. I think he’s done a good job,” said Cavanagh.