Dear editor,
Last April, Iolans elected the new eight-member city council and Mayor Shirley, after the public referendum to change the city’s form of government. According to the Register’s article on the referendum (Oct. 19, 2010), “the law that puts in place an eight-member city council, should voters say ‘no’ to the actions of current commissioners, also mandates that council members and the mayor be up for election after two years and that the city treasurer be elected rather than appointed. Changing those rules would require charter ordinances.”
Currently then, the council falls under the Kansas statute for councils in cities of Iola’s size/class, and all members of the council are up for election in two years (and not three, as listed on the city’s web page).
Ironically, a year ago, in the Register’s coverage of mayoral candidates on March 21, 2011, Bill Shirley said “the new council will need to act quickly to establish charter ordinances and set other policies in order to function.”
What, exactly, has the council been doing to move forward on establishing a new charter ordinance to outline the roles and responsibilities for our local government? Mayor Shirley appointed council members (Scott) Stewart, (Jim) Kilby, (Don) Becker, and (Kendall) Callahan to an Ordinance Review Committee on June 27. On Aug. 8, City Clerk Roxanne Hutton brought it to their attention that committees must follow the Kansas Open Meetings Act regulations, and then Oct. 11, Mayor Shirley “disbanded” the committee at the request of Callahan.
At the council meeting on Jan. 28, council member Callahan noted it was nice to be able to brainstorm in a committee without the public or newspaper present. At the next meeting, on Feb. 13, council member (Ken) Rowe stated that review of the city’s administrative policy and personnel handbook would be handled among the council members informally, because “this seems to work well as they can discuss issues in small closed groups.”
As a candidate, Rowe was reported in the Register on March 25, 2011 that “more transparency in city government is good.”
These “committees” have met in secret, with no public accountability, on issues including utility rates, the city’s purchasing policy, and the development of a charter ordinance that’s going to outline not only the length of terms, but also the duties/responsibilities of the mayor and the council members.
The issue of “committees” is, of course, a mere scratching the surface of actions of this council, which creates an appearance of impropriety. Another issue is its abuse of executive sessions, adjourning into closed sessions for hours and hours without following the protocol of the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA), which requires a subject and a justification for any executive session. There are also the unauthorized meetings that Rowe and Callahan set up with Westar Energy last fall, their use of emails to communicate between meetings (another violation of KOMA), and their hiring of a private investigator outside of an open public session.
Does this sound like transparency? Good stewardship of citizen resources? The kind of forward-thinking city which is going to attract new businesses and young professionals? Keep in mind that the League of Kansas Municipalities which outlines the roles and responsibilities of local governments according to Kansas law says, on the subject of ethics, “municipal office is a public trust created in the interest of, and for the benefit of, the people. Public officers are fiduciaries and trustees of the public interest, and they owe an undivided loyalty to the people they serve.”
If you think Iolans deserve more transparency and accountability from our council, there are a number of simple actions that you can take: (1) contact your council representatives and make your concerns heard; (2) show up at a council meeting (the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m.) to witness your government in action; (3) contact the Iola Register and implore the reporters and editor to cover the actions of the city council, including their use of “informal committees” and their plans for a new charter ordinance; (4) contact the Allen County attorney, Wade Bowie, and encourage a full investigation into the council actions.
Fred Apt, Janet Apt, LeaAnne Becker, Bill Campbell, Gayle Campbell, Terry Campbell, Cynthia Chalker, Mary Lou Chard, Heath Ellis, Jennifer Ellis, Loretta Ellis, Nancy Ford, Kari Gull, Mitch Hoag, Susan Hoffmeier, Ray Houser, Donna Houser, Ben Middleton, Mandy Middleton, Becky Nilges, Addison Rhea, Wade Park, John Sager, Jerry Skidmore, Betty Skidmore, Holly Slawkowski, Vickie Snavely, Mary Ellen Stanley, Amanda Thompson, Jessica Thompson, Jerry Thompson, Jonathon Thompson, Larry Thompson, Audrey Wagner, Lisa Wicoff, Iola, and former Iolans Michelle Thompson, Colorado Springs, Ed Thompson, Colorado Springs, and Kathy Metz, Kansas City, Mo.
