I believe there are 7 people on the planning commission (maybe 9, can't remember) so how is one person going to "change the face of the planning commission?" And what is wrong with a minister serving his community on a planning commission anyway?
Well, this minister is also a developer, who just got approval for a major project. I know that it is difficult, because you want citizens on the planning commission who are familiar with the development process, and that is normally going to be builders, developers, realtors and others who have a stake in the outcome of planning commission decisions.
It's also difficult to holler "favoritism!" when it is usually best to select people you respect and trust for appointed positions, such as this one, and so you can't expect Commissioner Jones to stand in the Publix parking lot and ask people "Do you want to be on the Planning Commission?" She is naturally going to select someone who has expressed interest, is known to be a trustworthy person, has some knowledge of county planning, etc.
I mean, Susan Horn, in addition to having an intense interest in planning, is also a developer. Does that automatically make her membership on the planning board "suspect"? Of course not. Again, you want people on that board who know the subject matter.
It's just frustrating, because I don't think anyone knew that there was even going to be a vacancy on the planning commission. The selection process wasn't exactly in the "sunshine". (In fact, it's really only a rumor that this selection was even made, so this all may be grossly premature.)
Granted, the planning commission does NOT have the final authority to make decisions, as I understand it, they make recommendations to the BCC. I haven't tracked the results to know how often the BCC goes against their wishes.
