New Planning Board Members Bring Fresh Perspectives to the Dais

At the first meeting of the year the members on the dais got settled into their new roles for 2012. With four new members and a new chairman it looks to be a busy year ahead. 

The new chairman is a familiar face on the board as Paul Boisvert moves over to the center seat after four and a half years on the dais. Boisvert said he is looking forward to his new responsibilities but does not see his job on the board changing that much. "We still have the same focus that we had prior," he said. 

Boisvert said he knows he will be responsible for parts of the meeting that had not been in previous years. "My job is really just to facilitate the meeting," he said. "I serve at the pleasure of the board. Whatever we as a board decide is what we as a board decide."

The board figures to see many applications this year that could change the face of Howell but Boisvert said he and the board members are ready to give everyone that comes in front of them a fair hearing. "I think we've always had a similar direction that we want to go in," he said. "We're going to follow the law but we're also going to look out for our neighbors."

As for the new members of the board, they have lived in Howell for several years and bring different levels of experience to the board. 

That includes Stephen Johnson who has lived in town for 21 years. Having retired from working in the IT field, Johnson said he is looking forward to his first time to serve the community. "I have extra time and I've always been interested in civic duty," he said. 

Johnson added that he had served on a planning board and on a master plan committee in a different town and was looking forward to bringing that experience to Howell. "I felt I had the qualifications to come here and there was an opening so I applied for it," he said. 

As one of a number of new members, Johnson said he believes they can help the board. "I think it's a good opportunity for new people to come in and have fresh blood and new ideas and move forward," he said.

Rob Antonelli, who has been involved with the township's Republican club, said he is looking forward to serving on his first municipal board after living in town for seven years. As the designee for Mayor Robert Walsh, Antonelli said he is excited to serve in his new role. "I'm just looking to keep Howell a nice place to live and bring balance and fair mindedness to the community," he said. 

Antonelli also knows the board has the power to make considerable changes to the town if they want to. "We could significantly change the face of Howell or maintain what we have," he said. "It's our job to live within the rules and regulations and the statutes that are provided and that's what we intend to do."

Of all the new members of the board, it is likely nobody is more familiar with the township than George Gravatt. The director of the department of public works, Gravatt said he has worked for Howell for 25 years and is looking forward to bringing that experience to the board. 

There is also a new alternate on the board in Brian Tannenhaus. A resident of the township since 2004, Tannenhaus served on the strategic planning committee last year and has also been a citizen member of the school board's buildings and grounds committee. 

Tannenhaus said he believes his professional experience can benefit him on the board. "As an engineer in the construction industry I feel that I provide some knowledge of how buildings are developed," he said. "I'm hoping to be able to provide my professional knowledge about various building codes to the board."

The changes to the planning board membership are similar to those of the where they also had a new chairman selected in addition to the new members.

The planning board is scheduled to hold its next meeting on Feb. 2.