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The results of November's Grass Valley City Council election left two holes on the city's planning commission. City Councilmembers filled those slots with new appointees Tuesday, adding Tom Brown and Ben Aguilar.
The five-person commission charged with reviewing new building projects in the city fell to three members when chairman Jason Fouyer was elected to city council in November, taking former councilman Chauncey Poston's seat. Poston's commission appointment, Kateri Harrison, left the board after its final meeting in December 2010.
Mayor Janet Arbuckle had originally appointed Fouyer to the position.
Both Arbuckle and Fouyer announced their selections Tuesday, with the mayor tabbing Brown, an insurance industry retiree, and Fouyer choosing Aguilar, who works at Grass Valley's A&A Air Conditioning, a family business.
The councilmembers jointly interviewed nine candidates for the two positions, Fouyer said.
“It was a tough process, there were a lot of strong candidates,” Fouyer said. “It gave me hope that nine people stepped up.”
Brown, 61, moved to Grass Valley two years ago after retiring from The Hartford Financial Services Group in Farmington, Conn.
“He impressed both Jason and I with his maturity and his approach to the way he answered our questions,” Arbuckle said. “His being retired is a big plus because it allows him time to prepare. I'm extremely comfortable with him being on the planning commission.”
Brown, a 1971 Duke University graduate with a bachelor of arts in English literature, spent a career in the insurance industry and served on a land trust board in Connecticut. In addition, he previously served on Nevada County's civil grand jury.
“My children are in San Francisco and Berkeley... and when I was looking to retire, my daughter recommended Grass Valley,” Brown said. “I interviewed because I'm interested in serving the community, learning more about it and connecting more.”
By contrast Aguilar, 30, was raised in Grass Valley and attended Nevada Union High School. A 2003 graduate of California State University, Sonoma, Aguilar follows his uncle, Paul, into planning. The elder Aguilar served on the county's planning commission as Dist. 3 Supervisor John Spencer's appointee.
“It was really neat to see all the issues that went forth on the planning commission for him,” Aguilar said. “I've always thought planning was interesting.”
Aguilar is a member of the Grass Valley Elks, the city's Rotaract Club and a number of other community service organizations, he said.
“I've heard a lot of people say that government can be fairly slow, and I'd like to speed that process up as much as I can,” Aguilar said.
The five-person commission charged with reviewing new building projects in the city fell to three members when chairman Jason Fouyer was elected to city council in November, taking former councilman Chauncey Poston's seat. Poston's commission appointment, Kateri Harrison, left the board after its final meeting in December 2010.
Mayor Janet Arbuckle had originally appointed Fouyer to the position.
Both Arbuckle and Fouyer announced their selections Tuesday, with the mayor tabbing Brown, an insurance industry retiree, and Fouyer choosing Aguilar, who works at Grass Valley's A&A Air Conditioning, a family business.
The councilmembers jointly interviewed nine candidates for the two positions, Fouyer said.
“It was a tough process, there were a lot of strong candidates,” Fouyer said. “It gave me hope that nine people stepped up.”
Brown, 61, moved to Grass Valley two years ago after retiring from The Hartford Financial Services Group in Farmington, Conn.
“He impressed both Jason and I with his maturity and his approach to the way he answered our questions,” Arbuckle said. “His being retired is a big plus because it allows him time to prepare. I'm extremely comfortable with him being on the planning commission.”
Brown, a 1971 Duke University graduate with a bachelor of arts in English literature, spent a career in the insurance industry and served on a land trust board in Connecticut. In addition, he previously served on Nevada County's civil grand jury.
“My children are in San Francisco and Berkeley... and when I was looking to retire, my daughter recommended Grass Valley,” Brown said. “I interviewed because I'm interested in serving the community, learning more about it and connecting more.”
By contrast Aguilar, 30, was raised in Grass Valley and attended Nevada Union High School. A 2003 graduate of California State University, Sonoma, Aguilar follows his uncle, Paul, into planning. The elder Aguilar served on the county's planning commission as Dist. 3 Supervisor John Spencer's appointee.
“It was really neat to see all the issues that went forth on the planning commission for him,” Aguilar said. “I've always thought planning was interesting.”
Aguilar is a member of the Grass Valley Elks, the city's Rotaract Club and a number of other community service organizations, he said.
“I've heard a lot of people say that government can be fairly slow, and I'd like to speed that process up as much as I can,” Aguilar said.
