Off the board

Lansing City Councilwoman Carol Wood recognized an Ingham County commissioner in the audience at a June 6 Committee of the Whole meeting as it was about to end. She asked the commissioner from the dais if he had anything to say to the Council.

Dale Copedge, the commissioner in the audience, thanked the city for letting him be a member of the Public Service Board for nearly 15 years. “I felt I have been able to contribute to that particular committee.”

Then he added: “I wish there was another way you could have informed me (my term ended),” he told the Council.

Did someone forget to tell Copedge he was replaced on the city’s Public Service Board, which he served on for nearly 15 years? That responsibility falls on the Bernero administration, which recommends appointments and reappointments to various boards and authorities.

On May 23, the Council unanimously appointed Cleophus Anderson to the board for a 3rd Ward term to expire June 30, 2015, based on a recommendation from the mayor’s office. Copedge said he was notified by Wood that his position was filled by someone else. He said he didn’t get a notification the administration claims to have mailed to him.

An administration spokesman said the mayor is entitled to replace people on boards but that should not be interpreted as “dissatisfaction.” The administration also said it’s a good idea to keep new faces coming in.

“Mayor Bernero replaces people on various boards and commissions from time to time when their term of office expires, which is his prerogative under the City Charter. He doesn’t need a reason to do so and his decision in this or any other case should not be interpreted as an expression of dissatisfaction with the performance of the person who formerly held the position,” Randy Hannan, Bernero’s deputy chief of staff, said in an e-mail.

“It is worth noting that no one is entitled to a certain position on a certain board, no matter how long they have been there, and Mayor Bernero believes it is a good idea to bring new faces and new perspectives to the table where and when he deems it appropriate.”

Hannan also sent City Pulse a copy of a letter dated May 2, which he said “was mailed … thanking him for his service to the City of Lansing. Like all citizens who volunteer their time on behalf of the city, his service is greatly appreciated.”

Copedge, who served on the board for three different mayors since 1996 and works full-time as a senior environmental engineer with the state Department of Environmental Quality, claimed he never got the letter.

“I wasn’t notified,” he said. “They may say different.”

Copedge would not speculate on whether he was not reappointed because the mayor doesn’t like him. When asked how his relationship is with Bernero, Copedge said: “No comment. We talk every now and then when we see each other.”

The Public Service Board is an advisory board that reviews infrastructure issues before City Council, including sewer separation, road repairs and sidewalk projects. Positions on the board are unpaid and terms last four years. The City Charter does not restrict how long you can serve on an advisory board.

Copedge said he serves various boards in the region, including Capital Area Michigan Works, Mid-South Substance Abuse Commission and the Boy Scouts. He said this is the first time his position has been filled on a board without his being notified.

“Usually you’re notified that your term has expired,” he said.

The City Council receives recommendations for boards and commissions from the mayor and then votes to approve.

Jessica Yorko, who chairs the Public Service Committee and reviewed Anderson’s appointment to Copedge’s position, said she was told by the administration that the letter to Copedge was mailed and all was fine. 

“It was confusing to me that he didn’t feel notified,” she said, “because (Hannan) said we did notify.”

Yorko also said that while she is unclear whether Copedge actually received the letter, it’s “my understanding you would (serve) a few times and then do something else. I don’t know if people typically serve on boards longer than two or three terms. It’s the philosophy of whether to keep it fresh or retaining institutional knowledge on the board.”

Yorko said she served for two years on the board before being elected to City Council in 2009.

While Copedge would not comment on whether his working relationship with the mayor may have influenced his position being filled, he said he’s open to coming back.

“I’m not going after anybody.” Copedge said. “If there is an opportunity to serve again, I’d be happy to do it.”