Metropolitan Council confirms Heather Worthington to LUAC and appoints Carmian Foster as EAC co‑chair; one abstention

The Metropolitan Council voted April 20 to fill two advisory roles: Heather Worthington was confirmed as the District 14 representative on the Land Use Advisory Committee (LUAC), and the council ratified the Equity Advisory Committee's appointment of Carmian Foster as co‑chair.

Council members praised Worthington's record during the confirmation discussion. "A quarter of a century ago, I was a young city council member and one of my first votes was to vote in favor of Heather Worthington as our city administrator for the city of Falcon Heights. And it was a darn good decision at that time and it'll be a darn good decision to appoint her tonight," said Council Member Peter.

On the Equity Advisory Committee appointment, staff reported that Vanessa Jenkins' term expired in January and that Carmian Foster was selected by the committee to serve as co‑chair. Council Member Lee, who said she knew Foster from a leadership program she runs, described Foster as "a phenomenal leader" and noted Foster's nonprofit and academic credentials. Lee said she would abstain from the vote to avoid any appearance of conflict; the council proceeded and ratified the appointment.

Both actions were recorded as approved in the meeting transcript; the meeting minutes in the transcript do not include roll‑call vote tallies for either appointment in the provided excerpt.

Why it matters: LUAC and the Equity Advisory Committee advise the council on land‑use and equity considerations that inform policy and project decisions. Filling vacancies restores advisory capacity for those bodies.

Details: Worthington's appointment fills the District 14 vacancy on LUAC; one LUAC seat (District 15) remains vacant, according to the staff report. The EAC co‑chair appointment ratified the committee's internal selection; the transcript records Council Member Lee's abstention but does not record a roll‑call tally.