Kendall Callahan isn’t afraid of being the so-called “bad guy” when it comes to making tough decisions.
He said his willingness to ask tough questions when the newly formed City Council began discussing last summer the city’s 2012 budget led to a greater understanding among all councilmen about how the city’s spending plans are put together.
“Before we could get anywhere, we had to know exactly where we were,” he said.
That process, however, has led to a firestorm of criticism against Callahan and other council members.
Former City Administrator Judy Brigham was fired by the council in August, two weeks before she was to retire.
The ensuing uproar is what Callahan believes is the impetus for a recall petition drive seeking his and Ken Rowe’s ouster from the council.
Allen County Attorney Wade Bowie announced Monday that the recall petitions against Callahan and Rowe were valid and could be distributed for signatures. If at least 54 registered voters in Iola’s Ward 1 sign Callahan’s petition, he faces a recall vote. Rowe’s petition, meanwhile, requires at least 65 valid signatures from Ward 4 to force an election. (The numbers are based on the number of votes cast in those wards in the 2011 city elections.)
The petitions allege Callahan and Rowe violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act by conducting city business via private committees. Both are accused of not providing public notice of their committee meetings and not keeping public records for their meeting minutes.
Iolans For Good Government members Becky Nilges and Terry and Gayle Campbell are circulating petitions against Callahan; Mary Lou Chard, Holly Slawkowsky and Mandy Middleton are handling the petitions against Rowe.
Rowe declined to comment to the Register Tuesday about the recall drive. Callahan did, but not until after Tuesday’s newspaper deadline.
THE COMMITTEE meeting issue has become a point of emphasis for Iolans For Good Government.
The group notes that Mayor Bill Shirley, shortly after taking office with the new city council, formed council committees to study such things as water rates and Iola’s charter ordinances. Those committee were subject to the same open meetings laws as other governing bodies.
Council members subsequently expressed a willingness to disband the committees and instead meet informally, allowing them to work more efficiently. “We still had a lot of work to get done,” Callahan said.
Callahan stressed the informal meetings were proper, even if as many as four council members and the mayor were to get together to discuss a city matter.
“But I didn’t want to be that close to the line, so we avoided having that many councilmen together,” Callahan said. “We know very well if it goes to an informal committee, and there were four of us involved, we could not go to any other council members. We talked about this.
“I can only speak for myself,” he continued, “but I’m not aware of anyone who has violated the open meetings act. I can assure you that I’ve never done that.”
