Mayor Jack Munns Hope to Replace Aaron Hatch on the Redding Planning Commission Tonight. It’s Not Clear Why.

Eleven months ago, former Redding Mayor Tenessa Audette attempted to oust Aaron Hatch from the Redding Planning Commission. Her bid was shot down first by the public, and then by the rest of the Council. 

At the time Hatch was still mid-term, with another year of service left in his four-year appointment. That appointment ends next month. Hatch says he indicated his interest in being reappointed for the role, but Mayor Jack Munns isn’t considering him. 

This may come as a surprise given how much Redding residents have publicly supported Hatch in his role on the Planning Commission.

Last year, when former Redding Mayor and current Council member Audette tried to remove Hatch from the Council mid-term, she received more than 100 emails and sat through hours of public comment in support of the popular Planning Commissioner before finally admitting defeat. 

“You should run for Council”, she told Hatch, noting his tremendous community backing.

But tonight, April 1, Audette will be among the Council members voting on whether to appoint a new Commissioner to take Hatch’s seat when his term ends. Commissioner Brandi Greene is also likely to lose her seat, despite similarly seeking reappointment.

Hatch and Greene are two of seven Redding Planning Commissioners. They’re also the most focused on issues of environmental protection. Hatch is a financial planner and formerly served on the Board of the Shasta Land Trust. Greene, an environmental scientist, also owns Burnsini Vineyard in Cottonwood.

At tonight’s meeting, Munns will put forward the potential appointment of Joshua Johnson, a builder and developer who served briefly on the Planning Commission last year before he was appointed to the Redding Council to fill a partial term. That term ended in December after Johnson did not gain the votes needed to win a four-year term.

Johnson’s experience related to planning is pretty clear. Alongside his work as a builder and developer, he works with the Good News Rescue Mission as a construction manager.

Munn’s second pick to replace Hatch and Greene is Blake Nance, a former Marine and Beverly Hills police officer with a current focus on event security and a special interest in ending child trafficking. A cover page included with Nance’s application indicates that in his law enforcement role, Nance played “a pivotal role in co-designing traffic management and evacuation plans for Beverly Hills to safeguard over 10,000 residents in wildfire prone areas”.

Nance has never attended a Planning Commission meeting, but says he wishes to “serve the good people of Redding with a critical eye for perfection,” if appointed to the role. He did not respond to Shasta Scout’s request for comment.

Similarly, Mayor Munns has also not responded to Shasta Scout’s request for comment on why he is replacing Hatch and Greene, rather than reappointing them. Hatch said when Munns called him to let him know he wouldn’t be reappointed he said only that he thinks Johnson and Nance will do a good job on the Commission. 

Here’s What Hatch and Greene have to Say

Hatch told Shasta Scout he believes the time he’s invested in the past four years would have continued to pay off for the City, had he been considered for reappointment.

“The learning curve for a Planning Commissioner is steep and I have invested a lot of time over the past four years learning about city planning, zoning, and land use,” Hatch explained, saying it’s important for Planning Commissioners to represent a variety of interests in the community. Unlike many other Commissioners, he continued, he doesn’t have a direct stake in development as he’s not a realtor or developer himself. 

“I am an independent thinker,” Hatch said, “and because I don’t have a financial incentive to streamline development, I can more easily advocate for the things the community cares about… for example, parks and open space, shade in parking lots, and safe ways for kids to get to and from school.”

The Commissioner said he’s becoming increasingly concerned about a lack of balance on the Commission that doesn’t represent the full range of interest in the community, on issues like climate change, a lack of housing, riverfront development, and looming wildfire. 

“If the Mayor’s appointments are confirmed, five of the seven commissioners will have professional ties to real estate, development, or related industries,” Hatch pointed out. 

“Balance of all kinds is essential for local government Boards and Commissions,” he said. “Better decisions are made when different voices are at the dais.”

“Further, the community needs Commissioners who will listen to the interests of the community, work with staff, and who understand that votes don’t always need to be unanimous,” Hatch continued.

Planning Commissioner Greene told Shasta Scout she was never contacted by Mayor Munns, despite expressing interest in reappointment. She said she was not surprised. 

“We serve in that position at the pleasure of the Mayor,” Greene wrote by email, “and in the past couple years, there has been a drastic shift away from reappointments.” 

“This is creating a Commission overwhelmingly filled with developers and realtors, an important voice in planning, but not the sole voice,” she observed, voicing similar sentiments to Hatch.

Greene said she thinks it’s important for Redding citizens to have a wide range of perspectives on the Planning Commission, saying she wanted her perspective as a scientist and business owner to be considered in areas like riverfront development and implementation of a City-wide tree ordinance. 

Diverse backgrounds, Green explained, “ensure that all sectors of our community are represented, that Redding retains its unique feel, and most importantly that we have a commission that can ethically participate in project decisions without conflicts of interest.”

“Development within our city is a given,” Greene continued, “doing it with an eye to future generations – not just today’s income potential – is necessary. There is a path for smart development in Redding.”

4.01.25 4:44 pm: We have updated this story to correct Aaron Hatch’s affiliation on the Board of the Shasta Land Trust.

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