City Commission Picks Jeffares for Planning Board

BIRMINGHAM, MI – Stuart Jeffares, who campaigned unsuccessfully for the Birmingham City Commission in November, was appointed to the city’s planning board last week to finish an unexpired term of Carroll DeWeese, who was elected to the City Commission.

Five people applied to fill the vacancy, and Jeffares was appointed on a 5-1 vote, The Birmingham Eccentric reports.

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“I think that’s one of the great things about Birmingham, that we often have so many excellent candidates for these positions,” Birmingham Mayor Rackeline Hoff said. “We’re very fortunate.”

Other candidates were Michael Xenos, Lisa Prasad, Elicia Katrib and Kathleen Devereaux.

Jeffares is a licensed builder and Realtor with Max Broock in Birmingham. He also has corporate finance experience, and served as an alternate on the planning board for about a year.

DeWeese cast the lone vote against Jeffares, explaining there’s already a Realtor on the planning board.

“The area where I see the planning board is weakest in is representation of what I’ll call residential interests,” DeWeese said. “Because every single issue that has gotten to the city commission and was kicked back has that component in it.”

The term expires in 2018.