(3/21) For the second time, Planning Commission Chairman David Ennis failed to win reappointment from the Town Council. Ennis, whose term ended in November, was initially recommended for reappointment at the Town Council’s December meeting, but failed to receive the necessary votes for the reappointment following concerns about the spouses of council members serving on Town commissions at the same time.
In December, Commissioner Mike McNiesh said he was against the reappointment, as Ennis is the husband of current Town Council member Mary Ann Brodie-Ennis.
[Editor’s Note: In October 2022, Ennis’s wife, Mary Ann, joined Commissioners Baker and Gilbert in removing McNiesh from the Town Council for failing to attend Town Council meetings. In February of 2023, McNiesh won his seat back in a special election.]
McNiesh justified his stance, stating, "back in the day it may have been necessary to have husbands and wives serve due to lack of interest; however, nowadays with so many interested people, it's not appropriate to have both in office." He was also against Ennis’s reappointment because he was involved in adding growth to the Comprehensive Plan update, something McNiesh is avidly against.
Commissioner Brannen stated that she agreed with McNiesh, noting that it looks like an "oligarchy in Town," and that there were plenty of people interested in positions on the Planning Commission. Brannen also said she was not a fan of Ennis’s involvement with the Comprehensive Plan update either, specifically the housing growth statistics, and was adamant about not reappointing Ennis.
Commissioner Baker, however, said he was not concerned about Ennis serving on the Planning Commission while his wife sat on the Town Council. Baker backed Ennis because of his involvement with the Comprehensive Plan update over the past three years, fearing that if the Planning Commission lost him, any momentum with the Plan’s update would be lost. Commissioner Gilbert joined Baker in supporting Ennis’s reappointment.
The December vote ended in a 2 -2 tie, with Ennis’s wife, Commissioner Mary Ann Brodie-Ennis, abstaining. Burgess Chad Weddle believed at the time that he was not allowed to break the tie, so the commissioners opted to hold another vote at February's meeting once Weddle’s ability to break the tie was verified.
At the February Council meeting, Commissioner Gilbert again made the initial motion to reappoint Ennis, with Baker once again seconding the motion. Brannen, again, voted against his reappointment, voicing the same concerns she voiced at the November meeting. Ennis’s wife, Mary Ann, abstained as she had in December.
To the surprise of everyone, McNiesh used a procedural option to ensure Ennis’s reappointment failed – he simply abstained – and as a result, the motion to reappoint Ennis failed, as the Council did not have the required minimum of three votes to form a quorum to pass the motion.
McNiesh stated his reason for abstaining was strategic; he didn’t want Weddle to be able to break the tie in favor of Ennis, which he believed Weddle would have done had he voted against the reappointment as he did in December.
Weddle said that he would be seeking legal counsel on how to move forward since the vote has now failed twice and until then, would not be putting another person up for an appointment to fill Ennis’s position.
As Planning Commission members serve until their successor takes office, Ennis will continue to serve as Chair until his successor is appointed.
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