Council President Lederman Working to Make Board Appointments More Accessible, Transparent
Springfield City Council President Jesse Lederman will introduce legislation to make the appointment process to Municipal Boards, Commissions, and Committees more accessible and transparent, and highlight vacancies on such bodies to encourage applicants.
“City Boards and Commissions are an important part of our local government, but too many seats remain vacant on these bodies, and there is no formal process to be considered for appointment,” said Council President Lederman, “This legislation will ensure that such vacancies are highlighted and that residents interested in serving have the opportunity to be considered.”
Council President Lederman’s legislation would require that the City Clerk maintain a listing of all Municipal Board, Commission, and Committees on the city’s official website, along with a description of the bodies responsibilities, the names of members currently serving, the length of each member’s term, and the appointing authority. That listing would be required to be reviewed monthly for accuracy, and to be updated in the event of a new appointment or vacancy.
The legislation would also require that the City Clerk develop a public application process for residents to apply for consideration to be appointed to a respective Board, Commission, or Committee. Such applications would be collected by the City Clerk’s Office and forwarded to the appropriate appointing authority for consideration. In most cases the appointing authority is the Mayor, and in less circumstances, the City Council President or the City Council as a whole.
The legislation builds upon a 2018 resolution filed by Lederman urging the filling of vacant Board and Commission seats.
“Key bodies like the Ethics Commission and Youth Commission have been dormant for too long. It’s time to bring them back,” said Council President Lederman, “Other bodies have enough members to make quorum, but still have vacant seats that need filling.”
The legislation also comes as Lederman prepares to appoint a new Working Group on Civic Engagement made up of residents who applied for appointment to bring forward proposals about how to involve more people in the work of local government.
“The people of Springfield are best served by a robust, professional, transparent, and well-balanced government of their peers,” said Council President Lederman, “Service on local boards and commissions also provides the opportunity to bring more people and perspectives to the table and for residents to gain experience in local government, building a bench of leadership for the future.”
“I greatly appreciate the work of those residents who are already serving on our local boards and commissions. Filling these vacancies and creating an opportunity for new leadership and ideas will strengthen and support their important work,” added Lederman.
