Folsom swears in new planning commissioner

Out of 23 applicants, the Folsom City Council named Amanda Ross last month to fill a vacant Planning Commission seat. Ross was sworn in Sept. 17 at the Folsom Planning Commission monthly meeting. A vacancy emerged in one of the two at-large seats due to the resignation of Commissioner Tanya Morales. The unexpired portion of the term runs through December 2026. A Cal Poly San Luis Obispo masters graduate, Ross is an award-winning professional in land-use planning, environmental review and LAFCO-related activities, according to her LinkedIn page. The planner is an acting assistant director of the Local Agency Formation Commission and principal of South Fork Consulting, LLC. "Thank you to the City Council for your trust. I look forward to serving the City of Folsom in this new role," said Ross. The Planning Commission features seven members appointed by the City Council. Five members are appointed directly by individual councilmembers, with terms running concurrently with appointers. The remaining two seats are designated as "at large," appointed by a majority vote of the full City Council. A total of 23 Folsom residents applied when the seat came open last summer, said Folsom City Clerk Christa Freemantle. Besides Ross, those applying by the Aug. 14 deadline included Bryce Becker, Solomon Chis, Linda Clifford, Ryan Ellis, Etienne Girard, David Hickok, Barbara Holly, Alane Loisel, Toby Magarian, Aaron Mann, Marko Mlikotin, Jag Nagendra, Chris Nwakobi, Kenneth Payne, Cici Robinson, Bill Romanelli, Rob Ross, Jaspal Sidhu, Patrick Stover, James Tedford, Stephen Williams and Farrah Wood. To be eligible, planning commissioners must be residents and registered voters of the city of Folsom at the time of their appointment and throughout their term of office. The residency and registered voter requirements highlight the importance of local civic engagement and direct accountability to the Folsom electorate for those serving on the Planning Commission. As a general policy, no individual may concurrently hold more than one appointed commission, board, council or committee seat within the city. There are, however, limited exceptions to the rule, such as appointments made by virtue of membership in another body, such as planning commissioners appointed to the Historic District Commission, staff explained.