Planning Welcomes Commissioners, Gayle Bustin, Patrick Phillips, and Charles Thomas
The June meeting of the Planning Commission marks the start of our new Commissioners’ four-year terms.
(L to R): Gayle Bustin, Patrick Phillips, and Charles Thomas
Gayle Bustin, Patrick Phillips, and Charles Thomas were appointed by Mayor Madeline Rogero and have volunteered to serve the agency and community to replace outgoing commissioners.
The Planning Commission is an advisory board comprised of 15 citizens, seven appointed by the Knoxville Mayor and eight by the Knox County Mayor. These volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and represent a broad spectrum of community interests and concerns. They serve staggered four-year terms without compensation and may be re-appointed.
A Mississippi native, Gayle Bustin has lived all over the world. After retiring, she relocated to Knoxville and has become very involved in the community. She currently serves on the boards of the East Tennessee Community Design Center, Legacy Housing Foundation, and the Holston Homeowners Association. Her goals as a planning commissioner are to maintain the unique character and natural beauty of our area by ensuring that development is consistent with environmental, social, and economic goals.
Patrick Phillips is the retired Executive Director of the Loudon County Economic Development Agency. Patrick holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Tennessee. He is a former Vice Chair of the Westwood Homeowners Association, a member of the Knoxville Transportation Planning Organization Technical Committee, and a member of the Tennessee Economic Development Council. He also supports Ijams Nature Center and the East Tennessee Design Center. Patrick’s goals as a planning commissioner are to emphasize redevelopment and preservation of local historic and cultural assets unique to the community, preserve neighborhoods, strengthen the local economy, and reduce urban sprawl.
A former Knoxville City Councilman, Charles Thomas is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and has been a practicing attorney since 1984. Previous to this appointment, he sat on a variety of community and neighborhood boards, including the Knoxville Transportation Authority, Knox Greenways Commission, Broadway Corridor Task Force, and he was chairperson for the James Agee Park Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Legacy Parks Foundation Trails and Greenways Committee and Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. He was formerly a member of Knoxville Area Transit Citizen’s Advisory Board and the Caswell Park Task Force. His goals as a planning commissioner are to help harmonize neighborhood, business, and environmental interests.
Planning would like to thank outgoing commissioners Jack Sharp, Bart Carey, and Michael Kane for their extended service.