During a packed meeting Sept. 12, a handful of Cedar Park Residents showed up to council chambers to speak out against board appointments.

Several seats are up on Cedar Park boards and commissions such as the Planning and Zoning Commission and community and economic development boards. Council members have the opportunity to appoint members of the community to these bodies.

Prior to discussing possible appointments during the Sept. 12 meeting, the meeting agenda with proposed appointments was posted to the city’s website. During the meeting, residents and council members shared concerns about Council Member Rodney T. Robinson’s recommended appointments.

Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale said at the meeting, prior to the appointment discussion, that Robinson was no longer pursuing two of his four appointments — Michael Sanguiliano to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Veronica Brown to the Parks, Arts and Community Enrichment Board.

Robinson told Community Impact Newspaper he was no longer pursuing Sanguiliano because of inappropriate social media posts Sanguiliano made.

Robinson said he was not pursuing Brown’s appointment because she told him she no longer has the time to balance the role.

Robinson’s other appointments — Hulyne Christopher to the Economic Development Sales Tax (Type A) Corp. and Sean Christohper to the Tourism Advisory Board — also caused controversy.

Hulyne Christopher lost the City Council Place 3 race to Council Member Anne Duffy in May.

David Robertson, a Cedar Park resident, said the fact that Hulyne Christopher and Sean Christopher are husband and wife concerned him.

“It is obvious that two people nominated are married and from the same household,” Robertson said. “What was the integrity to search for this position? If it’s, ‘look no further than your friends,’ something is wrong.”

Robinson, who campaigned with Hulyne Christopher during the May election season, said two people expressed interest in the economic development board position. He said one was the individual who held the role previously but is no longer a Cedar Park resident and therefore ineligible, and the other was Hulyne Christopher.

“What am I supposed to do?” Robinson responded during the meeting. “[Hulyne Christpher] is a good person. She’s loyal. She walked her butt off for me to help me campaign. I want people that represent me. People voted for me for a reason, so I want to put people that represent me and my beliefs and my values.”

Van Arsdale said he was concerned about Hulyne Christopher’s appointment to a city board due to her past actions. He said during the election, she said false information on a radio show that reflected negatively on the city.

“It hurt our standing in the region,” Van Arsdale said. “I think when you have 80,000 people you can find someone that’s not a concern or a worry.”

Christopher responded and said she felt she was complimentary to the city during the radio interview.

Council will vote on board appointments at the Sept. 26 meeting, according to Van Arsdale.