Mendota Heights Council Selects Appointments for Planning, Airport Relations and Parks Commissions

From a pool of applicants comprised of finance and business specialists, lawyers and engineers, the Mendota Heights City Council chose their picks for three city advisory committees Feb. 16.

Two full terms and one one-year term are vacant on the planning commission. The same situation faces the airport advisory committee. The parks and recreation committee has one vacancy outstanding.

Michael Noonan, Howard Roston and Mary Magnuson were selected for the planning commission. Magnuson will be appointed to the 1-year-term.

Jim Neuharth, Kevin Byrnes and Gina Norling were selected for the airport relations committee. Norling was chosen for the one-year term. There are no term limits for the ARC, due to the learning curve for committee members dealing with technical details of the airport and the complicated politics, said council member Liz Petschel.

Mary McGrory-Usset was selected for the Parks and Recreation Committee vacancy.

The council interviewed 12 candidates for the seven open positions. A 13th applicant decided not to continue with the interview process.

For the planning commission:

Roston is a real estate development lawyer, who said he’s attended hundreds of planning commission meetings for projects throughout his career and is familiar with the nuances of city planning. Noonan is a resident who recently helped mobilize residents along Delaware Avenue against the proposition of an interchange at Delaware and Interstate 494. Magnuson is a lawyer with experience in the government sector that lives in the critical area of Mendota Heights.

For the ARC:

Neuharth said he had experience with data analysis as an engineer, as well as a noise abatement project at a 3M facility. Byrnes, who currently works in financial regulatory compliance, said he has an interest in both the noises that residents hear on a daily basis and working to enforce and improve existing regulations that may affect airport noise. Norling expressed the most knowledge on the subject of the airport and its operations. A software engineer, she not only once worked on air traffic control software, but put in extensive research on the subject after building a home in the noise contour of the airport.

For the parks and recreation commission:

McGrory-Usset positioned herself in the minds of some council members as someone who could advance in city government and be well-positioned to chair the committee or run for council. She described herself as a heavy user of the parks system and touted her marketing background as an asset in identifying the needs of the community.

Those selected will be officially appointed at the next city council meeting, March 1.