Looking at Troy's Boards and Commissions For 2026
Vol. III, No. 225 - Residents Who Want to Serve Are Ignored as Boards and Commissions Remain Largely the Same
Troy’s 2026 boards and commissions roster shows almost complete continuity from 2025, with only one notable change among the five bodies reviewed and no visible effort to broaden participation. The exception is the quiet non‑reappointment of one member to the Board of Zoning Appeals, where his seat now sits marked “Vacant.”
What changed from 2025 to 2026
Looking at the Board of Zoning Appeals, Park Board, Planning Commission, Civil Service Commission, and Community Improvement Corporation, the 2026 roster is essentially a photocopy of 2025. Names, term structures, and leadership roles largely roll over unchanged, signaling reappointment rather than rotation or recruitment.
The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is the lone body showing any sign of visible churn. In 2025, the BZA listed seven members and all seats were filled; in 2026, those same individuals are carried forward except Frauenberger, and the roster now explicitly lists a “Vacant” seat, with a note that “K. Frauenberger was not reappointed in 2026.”
What this says about governance
From looking at these rosters, Troy’s boards and commissions are being treated as semi‑permanent assignments, not as rotating opportunities to widen the circle of civic participation. Turnover is minimal, and where change does occur, it is more often by extending an incumbent’s reach than inviting in a new voice.
And this publication would be remiss to not mention that there were residents that went through the trouble of filling out a board interest form online through the city’s website. None of the reappointed individuals filled out this form (at least not through the public records request this publication made) and those that did fill out the form were not invited to serve. Having a board interest form online for residents to fill out and then get completed ghosted demonstrates that local leadership is more about the form, rather than the substance of good governance.
Term limits for boards and commissions are one of the simplest tools a community can use to ensure fresh perspectives and prevent any one cohort from becoming the default governing class. This publication has long argued that regular, expected turnover is a hallmark of serious, future‑focused governance, not a threat to stability. In that light, the pattern of blanket reappointments sends a message that it is administratively easier to renew the same small circle than to recruit new, diverse talent into public service.
The vacant BZA seat and what it signals
The treatment of the BZA vacancy is particularly troubling. The Mayor is clearly within the legal prerogative not to reappoint a sitting member when a term expires, and the 2026 roster is explicit that “K. Frauenberger was not reappointed.” But the decision to leave that seat vacant—rather than immediately bringing forward a new nominee—undercuts the seriousness with which land‑use and zoning decisions are being handled.
A fully functioning Board of Zoning Appeals is a frontline protection for neighbors affected by variances and appeals of administrative decisions. Leaving a seat open by choice weakens that protection and reads less like a strategic reset and more like a shrug at the community’s expectation of a full, functioning governmental entity. At its worst, it risks looking personally vindictive toward the one member not returned, while simultaneously diminishing the board’s capacity to do its work.
A community that prides itself on civic capacity should demand more: clear expectations of term limits, an active pipeline of new volunteers, and a Mayor’s office that treats every vacant seat as urgent public business—not as a convenient afterthought.
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