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Council chairs, seats set |
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Tuesday, 22 December 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
For Wapakoneta City Council President Don Jump, councilor committee assignments is a matching game.
“I met with each councilor for their input and I talked with them so I feel I have them on the committee that best fits their skills,” said Jump, who starts his second term in office Jan. 1. “When I first started my thinking was to arbitrary rotate them, but as I have watched things work I began to realize how important it is to have people plugged into the right spot.
“Rather than forcing someone to deal with issues that they are really not as interested in I found that it is better to plug them in where they have a real interest and a passion,” he said after Monday’s council meeting. “I also want some balance and perspective on each committee.”
Jump kept the Finance Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee in tact.
Councilor-at-large Wilbur Wells, starting his 11th year on council, continues as chair of the Finance Committee and is to be joined by returning committee members 1st Ward Councilor Jim Neumeier, who is in the midst of his second stint on council, and 3rd Ward Councilor Bonnie Wurst, who starts her third term Jan. 1.
“I think they are doing a really good job and it consists of the most senior persons on council,” Jump told the Wapakoneta Daily News. “They have the experience and the background in this area, and especially with the change in safety-service directors I thought it was really important to keep some consistency there.”
Neumeier continues as chair of Parks and Recreation, with Wells and Councilor-at-large Steve Walter as committee members.
Jump said he continued this because Neumeier is “very engaged” with attending the Wapakoneta City Recreation Board meetings and keeping abreast of issues regarding the city parks and the groups helping with Veterans Memorial Park and the Wapakoneta WaterPark.
Wapakoneta 4th Ward Councilor Dan Graf continues as chair of the Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks Committee, but he is to be joined by two newcomers to the committee — Neumeier and Councilor-at-large Tom Finkelmeier Jr. They replace former long-time 2nd Ward Councilor Dave Campbell and one-term Councilor-at-large Dr. Ed Wallen.
Walter moves from chair of the Health and Safety Committee to chair of the Utilities Committee. He is to be joined by Wells and Finkelmeier Jr.
“Steve wanted to be chair of the Utilities Committee and having watched him work the past couple of years I noticed he has a real interest and did a lot of homework on utilities issues,” Jump said.
Wells provides some continuity and is a link to the Finance Committee since more than $13 million is expected to be spent in the next couple of years to upgrade the city’s electric system.
Finkelmeier Jr. replaces Walter as chair of the Health and Safety Committee. His committee members are to include Wurst and 2nd Ward Councilor Todd Hartsough.
“I am comfortable with two new people serving on this committee because Tom has already run for the mayor’s office and has already talked with several department supervisors, and Todd has a connection with the police department so I saw no problem there,” Jump said, noting Finkelmeier Jr. has been attending council meetings for the past four years and Hartsough for the past year.
Wurst retains her post as chair of the Lands and Buildings Committee. Graf maintains his seat on the committee, but the pair welcomes Hartsough as the third committee member.
“Bonnie and Dan previously served on the committee and give the committee strength and continuity and Todd expressed some real interest in the subject, particularly the business side and especially in the downtown area,” the council president said.
Hartsough replaces Wallen as chair of the Communications and Rules Committee. He is to be joined by Graf and Walter.
“Dan Graf will continue on the committee to provide some continuity,” Jump said. “I assigned Todd as chair because he had expressed some interest in trying to expand the communication between council and the public so I thought this would be a good fit for him.”
Jump intends to continue his involvement with the committees.
“My plan is to attend as many committee meetings as I can and try to keep up with what is going on in case I do have to cast a deciding vote,” the second-term council president said, “but also to keep informed with the issues before the committees so I can answer questions posed by voters because a lot of people do ask me questions. It is nice to talk with them and have a thorough knowledge of what is being discussed and what is going on.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 December 2009 )
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