By James Windell
One of the duties of the Mayor of South Haven is to nominate people to serve on boards and commissions.
With openings on the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, Mayor Annie Brown fulfilled her duties by nominating Nick Kish to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and George Sleeper to be on the Planning Commission.
These two appointments were included on the consent agenda for the April 6, 2026 regular City Council meeting.
However, Councilwoman Mary Hosley requested that the nominations be removed from the consent agenda and treated as a separate item.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several people addressed the Council offering support for both Kish and Sleeper. Ryan Servatius said that Nick Kish was a realtor in the community. “You need someone who knows zoning ordinances and that’s what he does on a daily basis,” Servatius said. Amy Nichols told the Council that Sleeper was an experienced and well-qualified candidate for a position on the Planning Commission because he had previously served on the Planning Commission and spent 8 years on the City Council.
Despite the support for Sleeper and Kish, Hosley indicated she was opposed to both nominations. “My concern in having fair representation,” Hosley said in explaining her opposition to Sleeper for the Planning Commission. “Ward Three is heavily represented [on the Planning Commission] and we need more fairness.”
Hosley went on to point out that there were other applicants, implying that the Mayor should have considered or appointed other people.
Council Jeff Arnold moved to approve Sleeper to the Planning Commission. After support for his motion, Hosley said, “I reiterate what I said before.” She went on to acknowledge that Sleeper has a “stellar” background, but she added that all wards should be represented on the Planning Commission.
Despite her opposition, the motion was supported by all other members of the Council and Sleeper was confirmed as a new member of the Planning Commission.
The nomination of Nick Kish to the ZBA was then considered. Councilman Dave Flack immediately made a motion to approve the nomination. Arnold seconded the motion. Hosley said that she was looking for “fair and equitable distribution on the Board.” There was no further discussion and the appointment of Kish to the ZBA was approved.
Both Sleeper and Kish will begin serving out partial terms on the respective boards immediately.
