A vacancy remains on the Shawnee Planning Commission, after the city council once again Monday night thwarted Mayor Michelle Distler’s attempts to put forward her nominee for the volunteer position.
On Monday, Distler attempted to again nominate Paul Goode to the open planning commission seat, two weeks after the council first voted to reject him for that role.
The council didn’t even vote on Distler’s request this time around.
That’s because no other councilmember offered a second to a motion made by Councilmember Jill Chalfie to consider Goode’s nomination.
That left Distler “surprised,” in her words.
“I was surprised when (Chalfie) made the motion to add him to the agenda to appoint him. But then, I was even more surprised when the councilmembers who had already supported [Goode] — or since the last time, told him that they would support him — that there was no second to to appoint him,” she said.
Council and mayor in appointments tussle
This was the second time Distler has tried to get the city council to vote on Goode’s appointment to the planning commission.
The first came on Aug. 14, when the council voted 5-3 to reject Goode, with Councilmembers Tony Gillette, Tammy Thomas, Mike Kemmling, Kurt Knappen and Jacklynn Walters voting against him.
At that time, councilmembers did not discuss any specific reasons why Goode would not be qualified for the commission seat.
In July, the council voted to preemptively block any appointments put forth by Distler for the city’s boards and commissions for the remainder of her term, which concludes at the end of this year.
In that July meeting, Gillette referred to Distler as a “lame duck” mayor.
“I think it’s essential to the institution of this city and to the very health of our community not to launch our city into a partisan, divisive, combative battle at the very same time in front of our Shawnee voters when there’s going to be an election,” Gillette said at the July meeting.
In the past, Distler has said councilmembers are attempting to clear the way to appoint their own friends to the city’s commissions and boards.
Distler’s request Monday was not on the council agenda
For the meeting this Monday, Distler said she requested to add a vote on Goode’s nomination to the council’s agenda, as well as an explainer to the council about what the job of a planning commissioner entails.
But those items were not on the meeting’s agenda, and City Manager Doug Gerber explained that the previous failed vote on Goode’s nomination (on Aug. 14) was enough to leave it off the agenda.
“(Goode)’s appointment was on the 8/14 agenda. There was no further action necessary,” Gerber told the Post in an e-mail Wednesday.
Gerber also pointed out that the city manager does not have to add requests from the mayor.
Still, on Monday, Distler used the “Mayor’s Items” portion of the meeting to bring up a motion to vote on the appointment.
“It was a very full agenda, and [Gerber] was trying to be time efficient. At the same time, he didn’t feel that Paul had the support, which, him and I talked, and I’m like, ‘Well, according to Paul, he had three votes last time and two councilmembers have told him that they were going to support him. So I think he does have the support,’” she said.
Goode has been lobbying councilmembers
While there is tension between Distler and members of city council, she said she had hopes that councilmembers meeting with Goode in person would help.
Leading up to Monday’s meeting, she said Goode sent an e-mail to all members of the council and met with some in person.
Goode himself spoke to the council during Monday’s meeting.
“I want to assure you that my intentions are solely about service, collaboration and responsible planning. I have no personal or politically motivated agenda. I would be an ideal candidate, regardless of who the mayor is,” he said.
Where does the mayor and council go from here?
A vacancy remains on the planning commission, as well as any other empty seats on the city’s volunteer boards and committees at least until December or January, when the next mayor of Shawnee is sworn in.
The mayoral race will be between city councilmember Mike Kemmling and former councilmember Mickey Sandifer in the Nov. 7 general election.
Distler said Monday she’s not sure what to do with her appointments before the end of her term, saying a previous nominee (before Goode) whom the council never voted on is now “no longer interested in serving with the current council.”
“I believe Paul Goode would still be interested in being appointed, if he would be considered. I don’t know where to go from here,” she said.
