Redfield City Council Changes Election Ordinance

The Redfield City Council. Photo by Jody Hoenor. From left: Pam Speer, Deputy City Clerk; Wilma Graham, Council; L.D. Morrison, Council; Michael Beerbower, Council; Ed Guss, Mayor; John Speer, Treasurer; Kirby Martin, Council; and Beth Guss, Acting City Clerk.

Redfield’s City Council is working to improve their town.

One of the ways to improve is the way the council is elected.

“We will have elections every two years, like everyone, but not everybody running for office at the same time,” said Beth Guss, acting Redfield City Clerk.

“When my husband (Ed Guss) took office, everyone but Wilma Graham was new, and nobody had known what to do,” she said.

They visited with neighboring Uniontown Mayor Larry Jurgensen and City Clerk Sally Johnson about the issue and were told about staggering the election so all are not new members at the same time, she said.

Following protocol, the City of Redfield published the proposed changes in the Fort Scott Tribune on Feb. 9 and 16.

This ordinance will take effect 61 days following the final publication.

An election of city council members will take place this November 2019, with succeeding elections every two years for the positions of those whose terms have expired.

This year Wilma Graham and L.D. Morrison will be up for re-election.

“Anyone can register to run,” Guss said.

Other members of the council in addition to these two are  Clarence (Ed) Guss, Kirby Martin, and Michael Beerbower.

Beth Guss said she is the acting city clerk until a replacement can be found.

It is difficult to find citizens who will serve in a community of Redfield’s size, 157 people, “not counting the dogs,” she said with a laugh. The town is located in the middle of Bourbon County.

“We’ve got small-town issues, like all small towns,” she said. “We are working to make our town better.”

 

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