BRANDON — The Brandon Planning Commission continues to evolve following the recent resignation of Chair Jeff Guevin.
The resignation comes just a month after the Brandon selectboard voted to reduce the number of planning commission members from seven to five. Guevin, an attorney specializing in elder care and estate planning, cited personal reasons for his resignation. He and his wife, Phoebe, have twin daughters. He was appointed to the planning commission in 2011 and named chair in 2014.
“I’ve got a lot of things going on,” he said in a phone interview last week. “My girls are going into kindergarten. Life has intervened, so I think it’s time to move on to other things.”
Guevin was asked if the selectboard’s recent decision to reduce the size of the planning commission affected his decision.
“I had a lot of reasons,” he said. “Mainly, I thought it was time for a change and the selectboard seems to think it’s time for a change. I was surprised at the decision (to reduce the size of the board), I didn’t oppose it but I didn’t really think it was necessary.”
Town Manager Dave Atherton said when the commission was at seven members, there were times when meetings had to been cancelled because a quorum of four members was not available. With a five-member commission, Atherton said quorum of three is more practical and more easily achieved.
Guevin acknowledged that two meetings had to be cancelled because a quorum was not available, but added that it was inconsequential.
“I never felt like it really had an adverse impact on the work we were doing,” he said. “It takes a lot of work and hopefully the new members are up to the task.”