Lacey City Council thanked commissioner for his service, but he didn’t want to leave
A Lacey planning commissioner was thanked for serving one term on the commission during last week’s City Council meeting.
The only problem: David Lousteau wanted to continue serving, he told the council and audience that night.
“It’s worth noting,” Lousteau said after receiving praise from Mayor Andy Ryder, “that I wanted to continue for three more years, but I wasn’t recommended for three more years.”
He added later: “Whether you’re speaking as one in government, or speaking at government, or speaking about government, speak your conscience. Speak it respectively and speak it often. That’s literally the air that democracy breathes.”
The Lacey planning commission is a nine-member group of volunteers who tackle primarily land-use issues, then make recommendations to Lacey City Council after they have held public hearings and studied the topic.
Lousteau joined the planning commission in 2017 and was poised for a second term until he was not reappointed. Commissioners are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by city council.
After seeking input from deputy mayor Cynthia Pratt and a second council member, Mayor Ryder decided not to reappoint Lousteau, he said Tuesday.
The mayor didn’t want to go into specifics about that decision, and emphasized that dissenting opinions are welcome on the commission, but he also acknowledged that Lousteau “consistently voted not to make recommendations.”
“We don’t always have to agree, but at some point we have to make recommendations and let the council decide,” Ryder said.
The Lacey planning commission has tackled some thorny topics in the past year, including proposed changes to the city’s emergency housing ordinance and proposed changes to low-density zoning. Both proposals attracted a number of residents to public hearings and many spoke in opposition to those changes.
In both cases, Lousteau voted against making a recommendation. He offered some clarifying comments on Wednesday.
During his tenure, he often voted “yes” with the planning commission, but didn’t on two controversial subjects: low-density zoning and the emergency housing ordinance.
He voted “no” on the low-density zoning changes because public testimony was so overwhelmingly against the proposal, Lousteau said. He also pointed out that he wasn’t the only commissioner to vote “no” that night.
As for the emergency housing ordinance vote, he also was reacting to public testimony that was mixed, but still very passionate. He also felt the proposal was being rushed.
His understanding as a commissioner was that a “no” vote was a valid vote. At the same time, he could tell the city’s planning commission staff didn’t like that.
“You definitely feel the vibe that you’re going against the grain,” Lousteau said Wednesday.
Ryder said Lousteau was polite and a valuable member of the commission, but he also reiterated the need to get things moved on to the council.
“We’re trying to get good policy to go forward,” he said.
Lousteau was replaced on the commission by Gail Madden, a Panorama resident.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
