Highlights
- The Scottsdale City Council convenes a special meeting Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall to fill 18 board and commission vacancies across 12 bodies.
- The Planning Commission has three seats open, drawing seven nominees including Jeffrey Brand, Doug Craig, Mason Gates, David Mason, Mark McCurdy, Poonam Singh, and Michael Wills.
- The Industrial Development Authority, which finances tax-exempt bonds for economic development, has one vacancy with four nominees: Michelle Gardner, Valentin Hernandez, Charlie Kofron, and Carter Stout.
- Appointments to the Board of Adjustment, Development Review Board, and Tourism Development Commission take effect the same day; Planning Commission seats are effective Oct. 11.
The Scottsdale City Council will convene a special meeting Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 3:30 p.m. in the City Hall Kiva Forum, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, to interview nominees and fill 18 vacancies across 12 boards, commissions, and task forces.
The session carries the most consequence for the Planning Commission, where the council will seat three members from a field of seven nominees: Jeffrey Brand, Doug Craig, Mason Gates, David Mason, Mark McCurdy, Poonam Singh, and Michael Wills. Those appointments take effect Oct. 11, 2026, positioning the new members to weigh in on zoning cases before the end of the year. The Planning Commission's regular agenda for the following morning, Sept. 23, is already posted.
Also drawing attention is the Industrial Development Authority, a one-vacancy seat with four nominees: Michelle Gardner, Valentin Hernandez, Charlie Kofron, and Carter Stout. The IDA appointment becomes effective Oct. 7, 2026.
The Airport Advisory Commission has five nominees competing for two seats: James Howard, Cooper Nelson, Sean Paul Olivier, Mark Unterbach, and Amanda Wigal-Schlosser, with appointments effective Oct. 11.
The Board of Adjustment, which hears variance requests from property owners, will seat one nominee from Julian Anderson and Ed Peaser, effective the same day. The Development Review Board will choose one from Joy Hunt, Porabhjoat Kasera, and Whitney Warman, also effective Sept. 22.
The Tourism Development Commission has one vacancy designated specifically for a Scottsdale hotelier, with Erin Press and Terri Worthington as nominees. The Library Board carries two vacancies and the largest single nominee pool: Douglas Connolly, Matthew Farber, Jeff Flancer, Rissel Langbecker, Emily Nalven, Vernon Noronha, and Enid Seiden.
The Neighborhood Advisory Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission each have two seats open. The Human Relations Commission, Environmental Advisory Commission, and Transportation Commission each have one vacancy.
Why is the council holding a special meeting for appointments?
The agenda designates this as a special meeting separate from the council's regular and work study session also scheduled for Sept. 22. The special meeting format allows the council to conduct nominee interviews and make appointments before the regular session begins, with several appointments taking effect immediately upon the vote.
The meeting will be televised on Cox Cable Channel 11 and streamed at ScottsdaleAZ.gov. The council may recess into executive session at any point during the meeting if a majority votes to do so, per A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(3).
Sources
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- City of Scottsdale retrieved 16/09/2026 23:23
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 16/09/2026 23:23. Every claim traces to a source.
