After two months and two executive sessions to decide who they’d appoint to an open seat on the Hennessey town board, the same four board members failed to take action again Thursday night.

That means, by law, municipal voters will choose the fifth board member.

Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman said Monday afternoon that the board will have to call the election before Nov. 9. The candidate filing period for the seat will then be the same as for the school board, Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 6-8, at the election board office in the Kingfisher County Courthouse. The election will be Feb. 19, 2022.

The board’s last item on the agenda was an executive session to discuss making the appointment. Their closed session only lasted 15 minutes, and the board took no action. Mayor Bert Gritz then announced there would be a town-wide election and the meeting was adjourned after three and a half hours.

The Hennessey Board of Trustees had the option to call an election, or go without a fifth board member until the town’s next regular election in April 2023.

Trustee Keith Meek was re-elected to his second four-year term on the board in April before resigning in August, although he continues to serve as deputy town treasurer. Board members haven’t been able to agree on his replacement.

Before Meek’s resignation there had been unusual 3-2 votes and a 2-2 vote about construction, building permits and fees. Without him, there are more 2-2 votes, without a fifth board member to break the ties.

Laws About Appointments

Gritz said Thursday night that he’d believed wording that the board “shall” appoint a board member meant they were required to do that. But he was wrong, and asked Town Attorney John Wynne to attend the meeting and clarify the meaning.

Wynne said the board had 60 days to make an appointment after the date of the resignation. “That’s to encourage you so there is a shorter transition, and not an even number of board members so you don’t have tie votes,” he said.

“If you can’t agree on an appointment then you lose your right of appointment until the next scheduled general (town) election which is in 2023,” he said. “Or, you could call a special election which would cost about $2,000.”

Trustee Richard Simunek said he didn’t think the town should spend $2,000 for an election, but he said that before the board couldn’t reach a consensus for the second time.

Prospects To Date

To make the situation more unusual, Simunek said there were three prospective board members in the audience, and asked Gritz if there was a fourth person who had expressed interest. Gritz said no.

Simunek introduced candidates Frank Patton and David Jones, and Scott Hajek introduced himself. Gritz thanked the men for their interest in being on the board, and said there have been times when no one was interested in serving.

Simunek Interviews Candidates

Simunek’s next agenda item called for a “question and answer period with any and all candidates.”

Gritz suggested that item be skipped until a later agenda item when the board was set to again discuss an appointment.

Simunek said he wanted to proceed.

“Tell us about yourself,” Simunek said to the three men.

David Jones said he’s retired from the military, and worked in vehicle and aircraft maintenance at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He said he “now works hard at fishing, keeping up his yard, and caring for his dog.” He said he’s owned property in Hennessey since 1996.

(Note: This is not David Jones, another veteran, who farms west of town and is not eligible to file because he lives outside the town limits.)

Frank Patton said he moved to Hennessey in 2010, and has worked as a landman for Endeavor Energy Resources and Iron Eagle Resources while in Texas, and has also worked in Canada.

Scott Hajek said he has lived in Hennessey all of his life, and they’d moved inside the town limits about a year ago in June, “so we do live in town now.” He said rumors that he wanted to get on the board to help him with some of his property developments were false. He said he’d abstain on any vote about his business, or property.

Vision Question

Simunek asked about their “visions” for the town.

Jones said the town needs water and sewer infrastructure improvements and better money management. He said he knew the sewer system was old and has had problems with his own sewer and water systems.

Patton said when it’s dark that the sidewalks are “rolled up,” and he’s concerned the town is disappearing. He said the town needs a marquee downtown that shows what’s going on, and people who drive through town would see it, and come to events. He said they could even put birthdays on the marquee.

Hajek said if the town has a marquee that it should be on 81/51 so it could be seen by more traffic. He said the town needs more retail to help with its sales tax base. He said PSC (Producers Service Corp) on North Mitchell Road has 250 employees, but only 10 live in Hennessey because they say we don’t have a Walmart.

Other Questions

All said they would file to run for the board seat if no appointment is made, and said yes to Simunek’s question if they would attend community development and grant writing classes.

Gritz said it’s not the job of the town board to attend grant writing classes.

“We have the weak mayor system (for small towns), and not the strong mayor system (for cities),” said the mayor.

In a strong mayor system the mayor’s job is full-time, and is paid a salary.

Gritz said Hennessey hires independent grant writers, or goes through the Northern Oklahoma Development Authority’s staff.

Simunek said other town’s board members go to those workshops, and Gritz asked, “Then why aren’t they writing their own grants?”

State law requires all first-time town board members (elected or appointed) to attend eight hours of training within their first year. Training includes: “municipal finance issues of budget and purchasing requirements, Open Meetings Act and conducting public meetings, Open Records Act, ethics and conflict of interest.”

Simunek Confronts Gritz

Another of Simunek’s agenda items called for: “Discussion with possible action on the failure to notify town council members of candidate.”

Simunek accused Gritz of not bringing Patton’s interest in being a trustee to the board during its Sept. 14 executive session about the appointment.

Gritz said he didn’t know about it then, and asked Patton when he’d contacted Town Hall.

Patton said he didn’t know, but it was in late September. Gritz told Simunek,

Gritz told Simunek, “That’s what I told you, but you don’t trust me, Richard.”

“No, I don’t trust you,” Simunek said.

Simunek most recently has slammed past boards, and particularly Gritz, in a letter to the editor published on an internet site.

Simunek provided the board 11 pages of information regarding his agenda items, including a Sept. 30 letter from Patton stating he had “tried several times to ‘throw’ my hat into the ring with no success.’”

The letter was not discussed at the meeting.

Applications Recommended

The board’s attorney recommended an application be made available at Town Hall for prospective candidates interested in future vacancies.

The town needs “more than a candidate telling a board member they’re interested” in serving, Wynne said. “It’s nice to have an application. It makes the process a little clearer.”

Wynne also suggested the application include if they lived inside the town limits for six months, and if they are a registered voter in the county.

He said he understood that an earlier candidate forgot to change their voter registration to Kingfisher County.

That person did not qualify to be on the town ballot, and had filed with the election board, but the opposing candidate (now Trustee Harold Shaw) filed an objection.

The attorney suggested that the board member application, and requirements, be posted on the town website, or include a notation in monthly water bills stating where applications are available.

Used Building Frames

A motion by Simunek to declare “rusty used steel pavilion building frames” as surplus property failed 2-2. Vice Mayor Clif Vogt seconded the motion. Trustee Harold Shaw and Gritz voted no.

During discussion, Simunek said the frames were laying in the dirt by the water plant, and Gritz said he thought they could use the biggest frames at the water plant.

Simunek said the town never picked up the canopies.

“You’re right, Richard,” said Tiffany Tillman, town administrator.

This is not the first time the frames have been discussed recently, though they were purchased four years ago. According to newspaper reports, the board unanimously approved the purchase for $20,000 in July 2017 from Baker Demolition. One is reportedly 50x100 and the other is 70x75, both free-standing units and the larger one had poles in the middle.

They were located at the El Reno Country Club, and had been inspected by a town employee before the purchase.

Gritz is the only current board member who was on the board in 2017. Others were Meek, Wes Hardin, Raymond Kerby and Mike Shaw.

Legacy Program and More

Simunek’s agenda topic to “Develop a Legacy giving program, advertising and website sponsored and led by the Town Council” was shot down by the board’s attorney.

Wynne said it wasn’t legal. Others in the audience said Hennessey United had a Legacy Foundation and suggested it be supported.

No action was taken on Simunek’s agenda items to obtain a diagram and schematic of the current library building, and a proposal for a pavilion on the town’s 11 lots on the former Johnson Lumber property at First and Main streets.

Tillman said his item to schedule a long-term infrastructure planning conference in January was already set, and his item for a community-wide, long-term plan for town amenities, such as library, museum, parks, etc. in February, would be addressed.

Present Thursday Night

In addition to the four board members, three candidates, attorney and administrator, others at the meeting during these discussions were Treasurer Shelley Burch, and in the audience were Karel Hajek, Jay Ladwig, and Firefighters Tim Riddle and James Matousek. Tillman served as recording secretary in the absence of Town Clerk Kati Walters.