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Sumner council approves new planning commissioner

By Avani Nadkarni/of The Herald

The Sumner City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Earle Stuard to the Sumner Planning Commission at the Dec 7. regular meeting. He will replace outgoing commissioner Brett Morrison.

Stuard, who moved to Sumner nearly seven years ago from Sammamish, has spent 34 years in municipal finance working for the city of Bellevue.

Stuard’s appointment was a long time coming, he explained at the meeting. He first applied for the commission in May of 2008.

“There were no openings when he first applied,” Sumner Communications Director Carmen Palmer explained. “Then, when (Morrison) decided not to continue, we had an opening and he was in there.”

Sumner Senior Planner Ryan Windish said Stuard, who grew up in University Place, met the qualifications he looks for in commissioners.

“It’s good to have somebody that recognizes the need for good planning to create a good community, the need to hear from all sides ... they’re supposed to be a-political,” Windish explained. “Mr. Stuard seems to embody all those characteristics.”

The staff and mayor also try to represent a wide range of both interests and geographical locations in the commission, Windish said. With his municipal government experience, Stuard was able to bring a different outlook from the other commissioners, which include real estate agents, contractors and those with finance backgrounds. He also represents the north part of downtown, as the home he shares with wife Sondra borders on Sumner’s industrial area.

Stuard, who has a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Washington, said the location of his home prompted him to apply.

“My home backs up to a trucking warehouse,” he said. “I really feel like a well-planned community has more of a buffer between residential and industrial. I feel like this might be a good way to jump into community involvement (and) contribute at least a little bit of my opinion.”

Stuard is taking the reigns from Morrison, who resigned from the position after nearly eight years when he relocated to Bonney Lake. City staff said Morrison left on good terms, but had to quit after he moved.

“He was a great commissioner,” Windish said of Morrison. “One of the challenges we have is getting that demographic where it’s folks married with children, a younger demographic. He had children in the Sumner School District and he represented a younger crowd. He’ll be missed.”

Sumner Planning Commissioners generally serve six year terms, but Stuard will fulfill the rest of Morrison’s term, which ends April 2010. He will seek reappointment at that time.

The commission is also preparing for the new year: The seven members elected Jon Swanson to a fourth year as chair and Kathy Hayden as vice-chair.