Assembly won’t confirm planning commission appointment

Frontiersman

PALMER — One of the Mat-Su Borough mayor’s choices for people to serve on the borough’s planning commission has hit a snag.

John Klapperich’s nomination failed to garner enough support at the Feb. 15 assembly meeting. Klapperich was last in the news when he lost control of his radio station, KMBQ. He’s a well-known presence around the Valley who can be seen lending a hand at community events. Most recently he was the announcer for this year’s Polar Plunge charity event on Finger Lake.

Assemblyman Warren Keogh said he felt he was being rushed to make the confirmation.

“This is the second time in three meetings that I’ve been kind of surprised at the last minute by the assembly having to address confirmations,” Keogh said. “I haven’t done my homework on Mr. Klapperich.”

Earlier in the meeting, mayor Larry DeVilbiss apologized for the lateness of his appointments.

By custom, one seat on the planning commission goes to a person from each assembly district. The assembly member representing that district is usually consulted in the nomination process. In this case, Klapperich was appointed to the seat corresponding to Ron Arvin’s assembly district.

“I want this body to know that I with great effort lobbied a lot of people in my district to apply for this seat,” Arvin said, before singing Klapperich’s praises. “He has been a pillar in our community. He has worked tirelessly. … He is a capable individual and I think he will bring a new perspective to that board.”

Assemblywoman Cindy Bettine said she would like DeVilbiss to consider a woman for that position.

“I don’t think that this board has any women on it and you have two women who have applied, and I would just like you to consider them,” Bettine said. “There’s a different point of view brought up sometime by different genders.”

DeVilbiss said he wouldn’t be changing his mind.

“I will not be changing my recommendation on this,” DeVilbiss said. “The assembly member for that district is in agreement. You can drag your feet if you want to.”

For his part, Arvin said he thought the idea that the seat should go to a woman was a smokescreen.

“I don’t feel responsibility for gender diversity on the planning commission,” he said.

Eventually, Klapperich’s nomination failed with assembly members Mark Ewing, Noel Woods and Arvin voting in favor.

In an interview Monday, DeVilbiss, referencing his first use of the mayor’s veto power last week, said he wished he could have reversed the assembly’s decision and had that be his first veto. But he was told the assembly didn’t do anything so much as fail to act in not appointing Klapperich and there was nothing to reverse.

DeVilbiss’ predecessor on the assembly, Talis Colberg, had similar nomination fights over his picks to serve on the same body. One of his choices was over the objection of the assembly person whose seat corresponded to the planning commission seat.

DeVilbiss’ situation is different in that regard. But he still thinks the assembly made the wrong move.

“It was Ron Arvin’s area and that was Ron’s choice, so I was in a pretty solid place there,” DeVilbiss said. “If they’re not going to support assembly members’ own recommendations in their districts we’re in for all-out war.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.