Dear Editor,
Like most of us, I am displeased with the recent attendance of the Bucyrus City Council Members. After I saw the most recent article from Crawford County Now, I looked into the issue and verified what information I could find myself. To the best of my knowledge and opinion, this is my account of the problems. First, I will give a basic overview of the council and its positions, showing how attendance affects the body as a whole.
The city council, comprising seven members and a president, is entrusted with the crucial task of representing the interests of the public. The voting members’ main objectives include receiving input from the citizens, discussing, debating, voting, and passing legislation. Representatives are expected to act in the citizens’ best interest, ensuring their voices are heard and their concerns addressed.
The responsibilities of the council president are as follows: acting as a spokesperson, setting the agenda, handling correspondence, signing official documents, recommending committee chair appointments, and running council meetings with etiquette (decorum), politeness, and impartiality. The president is like a judge in the meeting and is responsible for maintaining order. They should not provide their opinion during regular council meetings but may do so at committee meetings as a citizen participants.
There are significant concerns about council members’ participation and attendance. One member doesn’t feel safe attending meetings, but no request for additional security has been made. That same member refuses their duties until civil litigation is settled, which has been rescheduled for September 25th. There is also uncertainty about the appropriate method of informing someone of their absence, creating transparency and communication issues within the council.
Lastly, per a previous writer’s suggestion, I reviewed each council meeting video on YouTube to gather attendance and inquired from first-hand sources if a reason was given for absences. The council has held 49 sessions in total since the beginning of 2024.
The top Four Absentees are as follows current to the date 9/10/24:
- Kurt Fankhauser
Mr. Fankhauser has attended every required council meeting, but despite being the council leader and regularly wanting to give his input during the full council meeting, he has missed 19 committee meetings. Committee meetings are where input and opinions should be heard as a citizen rather than as council president during a regular council meeting.
- Carolyn Shireman
Mrs. Shireman has 11 absences, 2 of which are unexcused. One was when she left the meeting early but was excused, one was when she was removed from the council chambers, and one was when she left early unexcused.
- Kevin Myers
Mr. Myers has eight – four, of which his wife had a hospitalization for a severe medical issue, including major surgery in February. One was for a band camp instructor, and one was for a church event. The council did not vote on the issue for the other two occurrences.
- Zyan Hickman
Mr. Hickman has seven, all appearing to have been excused or informed of a party before his missing. Two were for a preplanned/purchased trip out of the country, and one was for a preplanned event. Most committee meetings were due to a new job opportunity and training.
The president must effectively lead, improve communication, and accommodate meeting attendance – including increasing security if necessary. The council should review the proper notification procedure when an absence is unavoidable. I think the president should attend more committee meetings to express opinions and not affect the impartiality that must be maintained during a regular council meeting. The president must also focus on preserving decorum, impartiality, and order within the council chambers and work on effective communication with members to properly lead the council and prevent further struggle.
Here are tallies of the missed meetings.
Dishon, Vicki 1
Kurt Fankhauser 19
Hickman, Zyan 7
Mauritz, Chris 2
Mee, James 2
Myers, Kevin 8
Sharrock, Aaron 2
Shireman, Carolyn 11
A complete account of absences and notes can be seen here.
Respectfully,
Clarissa Slater
3645 State Route 4
Bucyrus, OH 44820