WARNER ROBINS – The City Council on Monday unanimously approved members of a revived Downtown Development Authority.

Members are council member Tom Simms, Shirlyn Granville-Johnson, Carl Slocum, Ken McCall, Richard Weldon, Tony Robbins and Gena Vaughan. Ex officio members, who can participate but cannot vote, are Al Hirsch and Sonya Simmons-Baggett.

The council had passed on naming members at an April 19 meeting after council member Paul Shealy said he wasn’t familiar with all the names on a list submitted by Mayor Chuck Shaheen. Each council member had submitted a nominee, but two – Robbins and Vaughan – were not on the list.

Those qualifying to be on the authority are those who live in the city, Houston County or Peach County and have a business or an interest in a business in the city.

Vaughan, owner of Flamingo Follies boutique on Commercial Circle, has said she felt she was left off the earlier list because of her opposition to Shaheen’s position on the location of a new law enforcement center.

Monday, Vaughan and Robbins were initially not on the list submitted by Shaheen, but were placed there after Shealy and Mike Daley moved to amended the list. There motion passed easily.

Shaheen asked if the authority could contain nine members, but City Attorney Jim Elliott said state law limited the membership to seven.

Shealy said at first he could not approve the list because he knew only five of the seven persons, and that he felt Vaughan was more than qualified to be on the authority.

Shaheen, sounding irritated, told council members they had the list of names since late last week and wondered why they were questioning the choices at this point.

“You got the information Thursday,” Shaheen said. “I’ve told you before to just let me know and we’ll change it. It’s real important that we diversify this list.”

The city, which disbanded the group in 2007, was facing an April 30 deadline to members of the authority in place.

The DDA is facing a vote concerning reconstruction of loans on Rosemont Place, an assisted living facility for seniors on 6th Street. It is the only entity in the city to have the authority to vote on the matter.