Councilwoman Laura Friedman, who resigned her post as chairwoman of the oft-contentious Design Review Board No. 2 to run for City Council, said she knows first-hand just how challenging balancing the needs of a property owner against the needs of the neighborhood can be.
“If you just go with zoning, you can really end up with things that are out of place,” she said.
Friedman’s two nominations are considered wild cards, since she is the first newly elected council member to submit nominations under the revised appointment process.
The terms of Design Review members were changed last year to mirror the four-year term of their nominating council member in an effort to bring more accountability to the two boards. “I think she’s expected to bring on her own commissioners,” Najarian said. “It would be unusual if she were just to carry on with [former Councilman Bob] Yousefian’s appointees.”
On Wednesday, the city clerk’s office released a news release detailing two vacancies, one in each of the Design Review Boards.
Friedman said that while she has been pleased with the current appointees, a selection process would help to widen the pool, adding that she is eager to attract a landscape architect to the position, in addition to greater gender diversity.
“A landscape architect has the ability to look at plants and see if the species will really grow,” she said.
Such an appointment could replace Brian Ellis, the only member of board No. 1 who is not an architect and whose seat Friedman is responsible for filling.
Ellis, who is a founding member of the Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn. and credits his efforts with helping to launch the creation of the review boards, said he was originally brought on to serve as “the voice of the community.”
“Whether Mrs. Friedman wants to continue that voice . . . I’ll throw my hat in the ring,” he said. “I’m betting that I’m not going to continue on the board because Mrs. Friedman will probably come up with someone that is more to her liking.”
