By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The usual flow of the Bucyrus City Council meetings was interrupted a bit Tuesday night to accommodate a special position filled to support the police and fire departments.
Pastor Mike Greenler, of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, said a prayer just after President Sis Love called the meeting to order. Greenler was recently called upon to fill the position of chaplain for the Bucyrus police and fire departments.
“I think sometimes we forget the stress our police officers go through,” Greenler said as he addressed the council. He likened the safety officers to soldiers, but noted one big difference. Though the soldier can leave the battlefield after his tour was over, the police officer and firefighter have to return to it day after day.
Greenler, who is also a veteran, believed he would be able to offer help to the safety forces of Bucyrus when he is called upon. He also recently attended the International Conference of Police Chaplains to better inform himself of the role he took on.
Greenler originally hails from California and has been a pastor in Bucyrus for roughly six months.
Superfly Auto-Con is looking to bring a charity car show to Bucyrus, according to event coordinator Liam North. Superfly has been held at the University of Akron, where it draws about 1,200 cars and nearly 3,000 people to the college campus every year.
“If we can get people together for a love of cars, we can do something positive, too,” North said as he pitched the idea to city council.
Though Superfly draws in large crowds in the Akron area, North hoped the addition of a car show in Bucyrus would bring in enthusiasts from Columbus and Indiana, too.
“I see it as an opportunity for Bucyrus to have a large campaign,” North said, pointing out that the city can choose any type of drive to be the beneficiaries of the proceeds.
North plans on attending the Graffiti Cruise in June to gather ideas on how to implement the charity car show in downtown Bucyrus, mainly due to the fact that attendees to the show in Akron have to pay to get in. The matter was put into the Health and Safety Committee for further discussion.
Council approved four pieces of legislation Tuesday night, including the appointment of a new council clerk, approving manpower amendments for full-time hours, appropriating $9,000 in the Philbin Charitable Trust for the Lions Field fence, and closure of streets for the 2016 Graffiti Cruise on June 11.
Prior to the city council meeting, the Health and Safety Committee met to discuss supporting House Bill 292 and Senate Bill 27, which deal with worker’s compensation and incidences of cancer in firefighters. The request for support of the bills stumbled in committee after a motion was made by Wanda Sharrock to support them, but it failed with the lack of a second.
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