The Committee on Appointments met on April 14, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. to consider several appointments to city boards and commissions and to discuss the upcoming First Ward appointment process and current vacancy list.
Good morning, everyone. We will call the committee on appointments to order at 8 a.m. We have a few items on our agenda starting with the resolution confirming Mayor LeGram's appointment of Danielle Daniel Savage to the Grand Rapids Police Civilian Appeal Board. So moved. Moved and supported. Comments on this appointment, colleagues. Seeing none, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. Those opposed, motion carries. Brings us to our second resolution recognizing Commissioner Knight's appointment of Ronisha Harden to the Grand Rapids Police Civilian Appeal Board. So moved. Support. Moved and supported. Comments, colleagues. Seeing none, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. Those opposed, motion carries. Brings us to our third resolution confirming City Manager Washington's reappointment to of Monica App to the Grand Rapids Housing Commission. So moved. Support. Moved and support it. Comments, colleagues. Yeah, I'll make a couple of comments. Commissioner. Thank you. Um I really appreciate the work that the Housing Commission does and that Monica App has been on that for a while. Um I'm happy to reappoint her, and I I like the work that we are doing with that. But I do think that that commission as a whole has some opportunities to expand and do some more interesting things. So I'm looking forward down the line to um discussing with Monica and others how we can bring more housing for our lower income folks. And I do have some small concerns that uh Rockford hasn't necessarily been so on board with some of that. Um not because they're not interested in it, but I think because of the market rate pressures that we have in our city. I have uh unfortunately not had the opportunity to meet with Rockford and talk with them at this point. Um schedules are being what they are. So um I again I'm happy to continue her work and what she's doing. I like her. I like uh that we have developers like Rockford that want to be involved, but I do have uh some overall concerns that we continue to really evaluate who we are uh having move this work forward. Thank you, Commissioner. Any further comment? Seeing none, all those in favor? Aye aye, those opposed, motion carries. Brings us to our fourth resolution confirming City Manager Washington's appointment of Joshua Lunger to the Grand Rapids Housing Commission. Support. Moved and supported comments on this, colleagues. I'll begin. Uh I believe um I will not be supporting uh this appointment. Um I have several concerns with uh the Grand Rapids Chamber um and their work. Um our housing commission is our housing authority uh pushing forward imperative work to our city, uh really uh spearheading and and being in the weeds with some of the most important work, uh such as supporting our frontline communities, such as those who are unhoused or those who need access to affordable housing. The Grand Rapids Chamber has uh strategically and for many years opposed uh legislation at the state level that would be directly uh effective to help some of our most pressing housing needs, but I want to take it locally since that's what we're dealing with.