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EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — "That was totally luck."
This was her response when asked how someone 22 years old landed on the Eugene Planning Commission, the seven-member board that helps plan the city's growth and development.
Well, maybe.
But isn't luck what happens when preparation and opportunity meet? Didn't some famous person once say this?
Brianna Nicolello, better known as Bree, is most definitely prepared, and she's not one to let too many opportunities pass her by.
So, when the University of Oregon senior heard that the city Planning Commission was accepting applications early last year, she didn't hesitate.
"I really wanted to give back to the community," said Nicolello, who will graduate in June with a degree in planning, public policy and management from the UO's School of Architecture and Allied Arts.
"I know that sounds like a cliche," she said, sitting on the deck at Vero, a university neighborhood coffee shop.
"But I wanted to give back to the community that's given so much to me. I get really emotional when I talk about Eugene," added Nicolello, who grew up in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.
The city doesn't keep track of the age of its Planning Commission members, city spokeswoman Laura Hammond said, but does ask for "age ranges" when residents fill out applications for the unpaid positions.
"As far as we know, she is the youngest (ever)," Hammond said of Nicolello, who earned an academic scholarship to the UO upon graduating from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates in 2011.
That would be a safe bet, given that the next closest in age to her on the current commission, and its only other woman, is 48-year-old Vice Chairwoman Kristen Taylor.
The other five members are men in their 50s, 60s and 70s.
"I was so scared"
Nicolello replaced Rick Duncan, 66, a commercial real estate appraiser who had served on the commission for 13 years.
First, though, she had to interview last spring with city councilors.
"I was so scared," recalled Nicolello. "I was a 21-year-old student. Why would they want me? It felt like it was forever, but it was probably 20 minutes."
Duncan, whose most recent four-year term was up last year, informed the city that he wanted to serve another term but was replaced by Nicolello on a vote by the City Council last June.
Councilor Claire Syrett made the motion to appoint Nicolello, which was seconded by Betty Taylor.
An amended motion by Councilor Mike Clark, to "substitute" Duncan for Nicolello, based on Duncan's years of experience on the commission, ended in a 4-4 tie.
Mayor Kitty Piercy broke the tie when she voted no, essentially handing the appointment to Nicolello after the council subsequently voted 6-2 (with Clark and Councilor George Poling opposed) on Syrett's motion.
"This is not at all personal," Syrett said of her motion to appoint Nicolello instead of Duncan, according to a webcast of the June 22, 2015, meeting. "I don't know Mr. Duncan. I actually don't know Brianna.
"I'm sure Mr. Duncan has done excellent work. I received the applications, and I came to the decision to support Brianna based on her application and the fact that there are no women serving on our Planning Commission right now. And I don't think that's an acceptable situation."
Syrett was later corrected by staff that Kristen Taylor, a planner at TBG Architects + Planners in Eugene, has served on the commission since 2014.
"I heard from a number of other people that she was bright and skilled and expressed herself well and could bring that into the arena, and I thought that was good," Mayor Piercy said recently, when asked why she supported Nicolello over Duncan.
Asked if Nicolello's gender had anything to do with it, Piercy said, "You don't see a lot of females in that arena."
Asked if selecting someone Nicolello's age was a concern, Piercy said: "Sure, but I thought her age was also an asset. One of the things we've seen in recent years is younger people getting involved in the planning process, and I think that's an important condition."
"Big shoes to fill"
Nicolello, who recently landed a part-time job as a planner at Schirmer Satre Group in Eugene, is still somewhat astonished and almost sheepish about her appointment.
She mentioned that she has "big shoes to fill" in replacing Duncan, who chose not to comment for this story.
Fellow commissioners have nothing but praise for Nicolello and are somewhat taken aback that someone her age brings what she does to the table.
"She's 22?" said Planning Commission Chairman John Jaworski, 73, the board's oldest member. "Wow, she's younger than I thought she was."
There was some natural apprehension about a college student joining the Planning Commission, but that quickly fell away, Jaworski said.
"She really does her homework and is an asset to the Planning Commission," he said. "She reads everything, types out all of her questions on her laptop."
Nicolello, who doesn't drive a car but gets around town on a used Raleigh bicycle with a hole in the seat, is passionate about transportation issues.
The first order of business when she joined the commission last summer? The South Willamette Special Area Zone — and all the issues surrounding it: designing code for the remodel of Willamette Street between 24th and 29th avenues and the myriad of businesses, apartments and homes in the area.
At an April 12 Planning Commission hearing, Nicolello was the only commissioner reading her laptop and taking notes.
"It's phenomenal," said Kristen Taylor, who sometimes wonders what Nicolello is looking at on her laptop. "Is she really listening? And she is. Her questions demonstrate a level of understanding."
A Eugene investment firm, Brenelaine Investments, was asking that a 7-acre piece of River Road area property be rezoned from commercial to medium-density residential so housing can be built on it.
After listening to the firm's pitch, Nicolello was one of three commissioners who had questions for city staff. But her four questions were by far the most extensive.
She made references to Oregon Administrative Rules chapters and Oregon Revised Statutes codes, as well as state Department of Land Conservation and Development and state Land Use Board of Appeals cases.
"And then finally," Nicolello said, posing her final question, "based on the case of Benchmark Enterprises vs. City of Stayton, would denying this application on the basis of a lack of an updated commercial lands assessment constitute a de facto moratorium pursuant to the moratorium statutes in ORS 197.254(1b)?
"And, essentially what I mean by that is, unless the city intends to formally put a moratorium on, frankly, any foreseeable land actions that concern commercial land assessments, then can we really delay an action on this individual application under the recommendations from DLCD (state Department of Land Conservation and Development) in their public comments?"
Ann Davies, an assistant city attorney sitting at the table, immediately asked: "Can I make sure that you're going to get all that in writing for us?"
"Oh, it's in writing," Nicolello said, with a burst of laughter and a flip of her hand.
"OK, yeah," said Davies, also laughing.
"Yeah, no worries," Nicolello said.
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