The Village of Georgetown held a special meeting on May 6 to address the resignation of two council members and the vacant village administrator position.
Council members Buddy Coburn and Ginny Colwell both resigned from council on May 5. Colwell cited her health as a reason for leaving council. Coburn sent a statement to The News Democrat which read in part, “I find myself in a position where it has become impossible for me to continue to serve the Village of Georgetown. I truly appreciate all the citizens of our wonderful village who have supported me over the years and I hate to leave my service to them.”
The meeting began with a discussion on filling the vacant council seats. Council Member Kelly Cornette nominated former Georgetown Village Council Member Nancy Montgomery for one of the seats at the beginning of the discussion. The motion was seconded by Council Member Andy Clift. Mayor Dale Cahall then called for discussion from council.
Council Member Dave Guenther began the discussion by saying, “I think we need to take a little bit more time. I would like to propose having all applications and resumes submitted by the 24th and then we vote on the two best applications that come in at the council meeting on the 27th.”
Council Member Steve Wolfe also advocated waiting to fill the seats, citing the recent changes in Georgetown. “In the past four weeks, we have had Mr. (Wade) Highlander resign, we have had the unfortunate passing of our village administrator and now we’ve had two more council members resign. If we propose tonight to fill one or both of those seats and proceed to put an administrator in, it’s a lot for people to digest in a short amount of time.”
Cornette then spoke about the need to move forward. “I know our Mayor is very stressed right now with trying to step in and take care of everything on the table as well as try to maintain his full time job. There is so much on the table. We have grants, we have deadlines, we have due dates and we are at risk of losing money at this time. We have got to start moving forward and we have to react quickly.”
Cornette suggested keeping the sixth council seat open, but filling the fifth one to be able to maintain a quorum. She then praised Montgomery. “She’s been on council before, she’s well known in our community, she’s conquered many projects and written many grants for our community. To me it’s a no brainer, she’s all about this community and I cannot see us going wrong with that,” Cornette said.
Clift also spoke highly of Montgomery. “She has been a key asset to this community. She has nothing but the best interest of the community in her heart. I can’t think of one singular person that has achieved as much as she has over the past eight years.”
Following the discussion, Cahall called for a vote, with Cornette and Clift voting yes on Montgomery and Wolfe and Guenther voting no. Cahall broke the tie with a yes, and immediately swore Montgomery onto council.
Following her swearing in, Montgomery told The News Democrat that “I’m very involved In this community and am pleased to serve as a council member again. I look forward to working to make Georgetown an even better place to live, work, and own a business.”
After Montgomery joined council, the body decided to keep the sixth seat open after further discussion. Those interested in filling the council seat were encouraged to submit a letter and resume to the village.
The topic then swung to the rehiring of former Georgetown Village Administrator Art Owens following the recent death of Village Administrator Tyler Thompson.
As discussion began, Guenther said, “Once again, I think we are rushing this. We haven’t done any advertising or done any searches whatsoever. We need to do our due diligence to locate the best person.”
Wolfe then spoke in favor of Owens, pointing out the benefit of having him step in immediately versus enduring the training time it would take for a new person to fill the role.
Cahall then invited public comment. Several speakers rose to the podium for approximately 30 minutes, most in support of Owens.
Georgetown Resident Cris Dyer said :We need Art back for the success and future of our community.”
Nick Owens disagreed with the pace of hiring Owens, telling those assembled that “This council has a meeting set for next week. I don’t see why you can’t wait seven days. Due diligence. Any position like this should be advertised and let the people apply.”
When council resumed discussion, Cornette said, “Art in that role was phenomenal. I really felt that he was the voice of the village and held it together behind the scenes. I think that’s important in a small community.”
Cahall then called for a vote on a resolution to appoint Owens to the job of village administrator. Cornette, Wolfe, Clift and Montgomery voted yes, and Guenther voted no. The 4-1 vote means that Owens will be hired. Owens currently serves in a similar role for the Village of Ripley. He will begin working in Georgetown on June 7.
Owens said the following to The News Democrat after the vote. “I appreciate the opportunity of serving the people of Georgetown again. The support I have received from the community is humbling and overwhelming and I appreciate it very much. I did not seek the position. I responded to requests from the citizens and from village government.”
The Georgetown Village Council will meet in regular session on May 13.
