Plan Commission Discusses Attendance Policy After Goodwill Issue Tabled Again

Goodwill’s Dearborn store will likely have to wait at least another month­ to learn its fate.

A Special Land Use request that has been before the City Plan Commission since January in an effort to bring Goodwill to Dearborn was tabled for a third time at the commission’s Monday night meeting at . But unlike January and February’s meetings, the request to table was not made by the commission, but by Goodwill.

“Goodwill remains hopeful that we’ll be able to become a part of your community,” said attorney LeRoy Asher, speaking on behalf of Goodwill.

But with just five of the commission’s nine members in attendance–and knowing that only four of those five would vote in favor of their request–Goodwill opted to wait.

Goodwill's request faced a similar holdup twice before.

At the , only five of nine commissioners were present, and a vote on the issue couldn't gain the majority support necessary to pass, so the issue was tabled.

In February, the –four in favor, four against, with Commissioner Tawfic Hassan absent.

On Monday night, commissioners Susan Binder, Gary Errigo, Nancy Siwik, Theresa Skora and Christine Sickle were present. Commissioners Said Deep, Nasser Alrayashi, Chris Forsyth and Hassan were absent.

The commission’s failure to reach an agreement on the issue one way or another–caused solely by a lack of attendance–prompted some members to bring up the real issue at hand: What can they do to get commissioners to show up to meetings?

Asher requested that the commission attempt to “find a date that eight or maybe all nine” of the volunteer members can attend, rather than just waiting until their April 9 meeting to see if enough commissioners are present.

However, Commission Chair Errigo said that would be difficult, if not impossible, given that city laws require that enough time and notice is given for meeting changes.

But “wait and see” wasn’t a good enough answer for several commissioners.

“This is an important issue and I don’t want to come back next month and not have everyone show up and waste everyone’s time again,” said Commissioner Skora. “If we’re able to schedule a date that more people can attend, I think that’s worth trying.”

 Commissioner Siwik disagreed.

“If we start setting special meetings for one, you’re setting a precedence,” she said.

At the very least, Commissioners Errigo and Binder contended that the board’s attendance policy needs to be reviewed, and more strictly enforced.

The policy requires that members attend at least two-thirds of all regularly scheduled meetings annual. Having already missed three meetings in 2012, Commissioner Hassan is on the verge of breaking that rule.

“It’s something we should stick to,” Errigo said of the policy. “We haven’t enforced it. It’s something we need to look at.”

Commissioner Binder suggested a revision of the policy.

“It’s an embarrassment to the city and an embarrassment to everyone here when we have the public sitting there and we’re sitting here and we don’t have enough votes and a quorum,” she said. “It’s shameful.”

Goodwill representatives said their plan is to continue to wait for a meeting where more commissioners are present. And in the meantime, they hope to sway some votes in their favor.

"The ones that had the concerns, we’d bring up additional supporting information," said Goodwill Director of Donated Goods Jeffrey Ukrainec.

He added that while the nonprofit is being patient, they're also exploring opportunities in other cities.

“If it happens next month or the following month, great," he said. "If not, we'll still have a presence in southeast Michigan – whether it’s in Dearborn or not.”