Fuentes Participates in First Planning Commission Meeting

By Martin Henderson

In newly appointed planning commissioner Jolene Fuentes' first night of public service, she didn't make any huge gaffes. She did, however, raise a couple of eyebrows. 

Fuentes, a somewhat controversial selection by three of the five city council members of Lake Forest, got through her first meeting Thursday by making a couple of seconds to motions. 

But she offered a somewhat surprising revelation during the commissioners' comments at the end of the meeting when she informed her colleagues she would be absent at the next regularly scheduled meeting to attend a long-awaited wedding in Memphis, Tenn. The planning commission meets twice a month.

Fuentes was appointed to replace Tim Hughes, one of the original planning commissioners in the city. He resigned because his work out of state would force him to miss meetings and prevent him from devoting up to 80 hours of prep time for each meeting. He had hoped city council members would choose as his replacement someone with significant experience or background. Fuentes' primary experience came from being on the board of directors for the Lake II Homeowners Association, and she said she also had worked for a property management company previously.

Fuentes was sworn in privately on Sept. 5, and she abstained from voting to approve minutes of the previous meeting. Also abstaining was C.J. Brower, who missed the meeting.

Her first major issue was the recommendation to the city council to approve stronger language as it relates to keeping medical marijuana dispensaries out of the city. 

Fuentes' first opportunity to speak before the commission and the public came on the subject of the MMDs. Vice chair Jerry Zechmeister asked if she wanted to speak—whether to agree with her colleagues on the dais or not—and she answered with a sheepish "No."

The other primary action of the commission was to reorganize—basically, select a chairman and vice chair. Zechmeister, holding the gavel in place of the departed Hughes, retained the center seat on the dais by a 5-0 vote after being nominated by Hamilton.

"Thank you, gentlemen, thank you for your confidence, I appreciate it," Zechmeister said, the apparent oversight of Fuentes' gender not being lost on her as she made a comment to Brower sitting to her left.

Fuentes is only the second woman to sit on the planning commission; the first was Susan Miller.

Zechmeister nominated the only other member of the commission with more than nine months' experience, Verplancke, as the vice chair. 

Brower then piped in. 

"Just to make things interesting," he said, Brower nominated Hamilton, who came into the role in January along with Brower.

"I'll second both," said Hamilton, but assistant city attorney Mal Richardson advised him to keep things "as straightforward as possible."

He asked Hamilton to retract his double-second, and said if there was a second for either nomination they would vote on it.

"I'll second the first one," Fuentes said, for Verplancke. 

Zechmeister asked for a second on the Hamilton nomination. Fuentes appeared to want to second Hamilton as well, getting out the words "Could I" before Richardson cut her off and said a vote should first be taken on Verplancke. 

Fuentes chimed in, explaining her reasoning for seconding Verplancke while at the same time giving the impression she thought she or someone else would have the opportunity to second Hamilton. 
 
"I thought you couldn't second both of them together," Fuentes said.  

Richardson explained they should vote on Verplancke; if he wanted to retain the nomination, and if he was not approved, then the commissioners would look to the second candidate. 

Zechmeister, Verplanke and even Hamilton voted their approval in sync, with Fuentes noticeably fourth and Brower fifth.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story indicated Fuentes and Brower abstained on the item involving Medical Marijuana Dispensaries; in fact, both abstained from voting approval of the previous meeting's minutes; each voted in favor of the stronger language against the MMDs.