These are the members of the City’s Heritage Preservation Commission. They are (L-R) front row: Robert Amell, Molly Gilbertson (Vice Chair), and Nina Mackay. Back row (L-R): Deborah Barkley,Ed Muehlberg, Jane Plaza, and Betsy Adams (Chair).
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It’s time for our annual recruitment drive to interest citizens in serving on one of the City’s citizens advisory boards and commissions. There are several boards and commissions to choose from:
- Arts & Culture Commission
- Heritage Preservation Commission
- Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission
- Planning Commission
- Human Rights & Diversity Commission
And our two newest commissions, established by the Council just this past year:
- Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission
- Conservation Commission
Our citizen advisory boards and commissions are important to the proper functioning of city government. They add a critical dose of representativeness (I don’t think that’s a real word, but you know what I mean) to our deliberative process. Not only do Eden Prairie citizens control their city government through the electoral process, but they are also served by appointed citizens through the advisory board and commission process. These additional citizen/officials assist both the staff and the Council by providing direction on a wide variety of public policy questions.
There’s a lot going on in city government. Paid City staff are capable of getting all the work done, but without citizen boards and commissions, I think we’d miss a critical connection with our citizens.
The deadline to apply for one of our boards and commissions is February 3. The application is available on the City’s website at www.edenprairie.org. Staff and commission members will host an Open House at City Center (8080 Mitchell Road) on Tuesday, January 24 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
If you’re considering applying and want to know more about the details of being on a board or commission, drop on by and we’ll answer your questions live and in person.
