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Entering the week of April 20-26, there were four vacant positions on the Windsor Economic Development Authority (EDA).

The Windsor Town Council appointed three individuals Tuesday, April 22, to serve on the EDA, and a member of the Windsor Planning Commission agreed Wednesday, April 23, to attend an EDA meeting to see if he might be open to serving in the final Authority vacancy.

During the council’s work session on April 22, Town Manager William Saunders said, “As you are aware, the EDA typically nominates potential directors, and the Town Council appoints them.”

He noted that when full, the Authority is composed of seven directors who meet the following criteria: 

• Five members consisting of either being a resident of the town of Windsor or representative of a business located within the town of Windsor and reside in Isle of Wight County or the town of Windsor;
• One member of Town Council; and
• One member of the Planning Commission.

“Currently, there are four open positions on the EDA,” Saunders said on April 22, “three of which should consist of either being a resident of the town of Windsor or a representative of a business located within the Town of Windsor and reside in Isle of Wight County, and one, a member of the Planning Commission.”

Saunders noted that at the March 11 Town Council meeting, the Council’s liaison to the EDA, Councilman Jake Redd, recommended four individuals for appointment to the Authority who had filled out talent bank forms, which noted their desire to serve on the EDA. 

Saunders also noted that for the April 23 Planning Commission meeting, the council’s liaison to the commission, Councilman David Adams, had placed recommendation of an EDA nominee from the commission on the agenda.

With regard to which three of the four individuals who filled out talent bank forms should serve in three of the vacant Authority seats, Saunders said to the council, “This is for your consideration.”

Councilman Marlin W. Sharp said, “I move we appoint (Danielle) Craig, Pamela Pope and Dr. Sidney Delepine to the EDA.”

Adams seconded the motion, and a 4-0 vote followed.

Redd and Councilman Walter Bernacki were not present for the April 22 work session.

Adams asked if the length of the terms for Craig, Delepine and Pope was defined in the EDA’s bylaws or if the council needed to specify an end date for each of them.

“They are four-year terms,” Saunders said, “but they would have to pick up on the unsatisfied term of three of them. Thank you for bringing that up, and I hate to say I didn’t consider that in my staff report. Would there be some metric by which council would like to look at that?”

Windsor Mayor George Stubbs determined that two of the EDA seats that had been vacant had terms set to expire on June 30, 2027, and the other two had terms set to expire on June 30, 2028.

“In that, do you have which one was the planning commissioner?” Saunders asked, and Stubbs replied, “No, I do not.”

It was decided by the council that the metric it would use to determine who received what length of term would be when they submitted their talent bank form to apply for the Authority.

Pope submitted her form on July 29, 2024, Craig submitted her form on Jan. 20, 2025, and Delepine submitted his in person on Feb. 18, 2025.

“Would you want the earliest received form to be for the longest term?” Saunders asked, and Adams said, “Yes.”

Saunders also indicated that he would make sure the unexpired term that had belonged to a member of the Planning Commission would go to the future appointee from the Planning Commission.

He checked to see if these term assignments were satisfactory to the council, and there was a council consensus that they were.

Of the EDA seats that were already filled entering April 22, the terms for Dewitt Holland and Jake Redd expire June 30, 2027, and the term for Tony Ambrose expires June 30, 2028.

At the April 23 Planning Commission meeting, Adams asked if a member of the commission would be willing to join the Authority, and Commissioner Ricky Vaughan said, “I’d be willing to go to (an EDA meeting) to see what it’s like and then make my decision from there, if that would be OK.”

“I’ll have Jake get you the information for the next meeting,” Adams said. “Thank you.”