HARBOR SPRINGS — The Harbor Springs City Council appointed a new member during a special meeting on Wednesday, July 2.
The council voted 4-0 for Bob Buckner to fill the seat left open following Michael Behrmann’s resignation.
During his introductions, Buckner said his primary residence has been in Harbor Springs for the last 10 years. Most recently, he’s served on the planning commission and Zoning Board Authority.
Buckner was also chosen to serve as the council’s representative on the planning commission on Wednesday. This will in turn create an opening for a resident on the commission, as Buckner switches roles. City manager Victor Sinadinoski said he’ll maintain the applications from those who applied for the council seat if they’re interested in filling the now-available planning commission seat. The position will also be re-opened to the public for applications.
Buckner will be completing Behrmann’s term, which ends in November. He will have the option to run for reelection if he is interested.
A total of 10 people applied for the role, including Buckner, Jeanna Benjamin, John Cupps, Chip Everest, Janie Jenkins, John Lio, Bill McCullough, Linda Rachwitz, Nancy Rondel and Gary Stewart.
Before the council discussed candidates, council member Wendy Reeves made a motion to appoint Everest to the position. The motion got a second, but a 2-2 vote resulted in its failure. The council discussed the options further.
Reeves said she wouldn’t be able to support putting anyone on the council who was in the “no camp,” in reference to Ordinance 439 — a previously-approved, then repealed via citizen vote version of the zoning code.
“All the strengths are different and they’re all important, and how someone voted on one issue, I don’t think is necessarily the only factor,” council member Kathy Motschall said.
Motschall added that there’s no way of knowing how people voted unless they were in a public position, and that she thinks the city has come a long way. Discussions regarding the ordinance in 2024 were quite tumultuous, resulting in the planning commission re-starting zoning code updates in order to make it agreeable for most residents.
After discussion, each council member named their top choices, and all four council members named Buckner. He was sworn in during the meeting.
At their July 21 meeting, council will appoint people to open positions on both the planning commission, with a term expiring in December 2027, and the ZBA, with a term that expires in December 2026. Applications are due on July 17 and can be found at cityofharborsprings.com.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs City Council appoints Bob Buckner to fill open seat
Reporting by Karly Graham, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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