By JOHN KOZIOL

Staff Writer

LACONIA — With little discussion, the City Council has appointed seven residents to the first municipal Motorcycle Week Advisory Committee.

Established by the council last November to look objectively at all facets of the rally, which takes place this year from June 7-15, the committee will be made up of Jim Baird from Ward 1; Brenda Schmucker, Ward 2; Sharon Fleischman, Ward 3; James Joyal, Ward 4; Richard Heinis, Ward 5; and Linda Peary, Ward 6.

Peter Brunette was chosen by the council to be the committee’s at-large member.

Brunette failed to get the Ward 6 slot on the committee — only the Ward 2 and 6 openings had more than one candidate — and got the at-large seat only when Mayor Mark Fraser broke a 3-3 tie in his favor.

Brunette’s candidacy was supported by councilors Paul Bordeau, Bob Luther and Fred Toll while councilors Jim Cowan, Rick Judkins and Armand Bolduc voted for Robert Scharn, who was also a candidate for the Ward 6 seat, to be the committee’s at-large representative.

On Wednesday, Brunette said the members of the Motorcycle Technical Advisory Committee agreed to get together at 7 p.m. June 3 at City Hall to elect officers, set meeting dates and to get "clarification of our marching orders."

In other Bike Week news, Fraser said in lieu of the traditional pre-Bike Week press conference, the city and the Laconia Motorcycle Week Rally and Race Association, which promotes the rally, have decided to hold a reception instead on June 7 at the Belknap Mill for Bike Week sponsors, the council and guests.

The reception will hopefully "start the event off on a positive note," said Fraser, noting that the pre-Bike Week press conferences in recent years have focused heavily on questions of public safety, which have tended to set a negative tone.

The council later granted permission for a portion of the City Hall parking lot to be used during the reception so that rally sponsors could set up small display tents.