Former Huetter mayor remains on City Council

HUETTER – The Huetter mayor unseated in an upset November election will remain in an elected city post for the next two years to the surprise of the new mayor and two new council members.

Newly elected Huetter Mayor Brad Keene found out just minutes after he took office on Jan. 9 that former Mayor Jackie Meeks was appointed to a vacant City Council seat during a Dec. 30 special meeting of the council. Keene and two new council members found out about the appointment only after Meeks moved from the mayor’s seat to a council seat following their swearing in.

“When we asked them what was going on, they were very defensive,” said Keene, who is now leading the town of about 100 residents.

At the Dec. 30 meeting, Councilman Ken Guenther said he was moving outside the city limits and must resign. Then, in a complicated series of maneuvers, Meeks resigned as mayor, Guenther resigned his post, and council president (and then acting mayor) Kim Rodway appointed Meeks to fill Guenther’s seat. The remainder of the council – Meeks’ husband – council member Dave Meeks – Rodway and council member Michelle “Mick” Sumner then approved the appointment.

It was a last official vote for Sumner and Dave Meeks, who were both beaten in the November election by Keene’s running mates, Jennifer Brown and Luke Gibler.

Jackie Meeks was surprised that others on the council opposed her appointment. No one questioned it during the January meeting, she said.

Arthur Macomber, the city’s attorney, said the appointment was made to make sure the council had a quorum of at least three people at its January meeting. Without that quorum of old City Council members, the new council could not have been sworn into office, Macomber said.

“In November and December we had sickness and we didn’t have meetings for lack of a quorum,” he explained.

Guenther took a job as a truck driver and was frequently out of town in the latter half of the year.

Keene pointed out that the council was able to muster a quorum at the special meeting.

The appointment broke no laws, but some of Jackie Meeks’ political opponents are criticizing the timing, saying Keene should have been given the opportunity to fill the vacant position.

“I think it’s crooked. The person was voted out and then she jumps over to the council,” said Lang Sumner, a Huetter resident and friend of Keene’s.

Keene said if given the chance to pick Guenther’s replacement, he would not have chosen Jackie Meeks.

“Jackie was voted out for a reason, so I don’t think people would have appreciated me appointing her to that post,” he said.

Guenther’s term didn’t expire until after the November 2009 elections, so Meeks could remain in the seat until the end of that year.

She said she intends to do just that.

“I figured with so many new people on the council, they might appreciate someone with experience in there. They have not come to any of the meetings until they won,” she noted of the newly elected mayor and council members. “They don’t know how things go.”

Meeks points out that she has been instrumental in several recent projects under way in the city, including applying for a water and sewer grant still in the works, annexing new property, buying land for a new well and forming an urban renewal district.

With the appointment, the City Council’s old guard – Meeks and Rodway – have an equal number of council seats as the new guard of council members elected in November – Brown and Gibler.

Huetter’s mayor only votes to break ties.

Keene said he’s prepared to move forward: “It probably should have been handled in a different way, but I’m going to make the best of it.”