The City of Yelm website states,
“The Planning Commission consists of seven members, appointed by the Mayor of the City, subject to confirmation by the City Council.”

This writer and his wife attended the May 22 Yelm City Council Meeting and had read Mayor Harding’s appointment letter for Peggy Wolf Kennedy posted on the City website. While we applaud Mrs. Kennedy and feel she will make a fine addition to the Planning Commission, we were surpirsed at no mention of the names of the other two candidates, nor not one question raised from any Council member as to who they were and why Mrs. Kennedy was selected by Mayor Harding over the others.

Further, I contacted two Planning Commission members to request all of the names of the candidates.
I was told they did not know the names as the opening and candidates were never discussed with the Planning Commission.

This is very curious.

This writer wrote to the Planning Dept. asking for the candidates’ names & have received no reply a full week later.
HMMM!

This writer received an email from the city’s assistant planner today indicating she was away, hence the delay in responding.
Ms. Merriman stated she “researched the public records regulations to determine if the names of persons applying for boards and commissions were confidential, such as those applying for employment,” adding “the importance of protection of personal information.”

They are not.

Further, pusuant to my public record request under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 42.56, the two names of the other candidates for the Planning Commission vacancy were Carole Christian, and Patricia Noffsinger.