By Jaiya Brown, FOX23.com News Staff
BIXBY, Okla. — Bixby city leaders are moving ahead with plans to fill several key leadership positions after a string of high-profile changes at City Hall, but residents are divided over who should get to choose the city’s next leaders.
The discussion comes after former City Manager Joey Wiedel was arrested for DUI, former Mayor Brad Girard resigned, and the city placed Assistant City Manager Kim Coody on administrative leave.
As the city looks to move forward with appointments to fill vacancies, some residents say the current system is working as intended, while others want voters to have a direct say through elections.
Bixby resident Diana Copenhaver said she has concerns about shifting to a system where the mayor is elected, citing the influence of money in campaigns.
“The concern I have with having a mayor race is because mayor races can be heavily influenced by campaign funding and special interest including developers and builders and so that’s kind of why i changed it on not having a strong mayor system,” Copenhaver said.
Others argued that recent leadership changes show why the public should be able to vote on top city leadership. Cheryl Moore, a Bixby resident, said she supports elections for leadership roles.
“I just thought that’s the way we’ve always done it as Americans we vote for people in leadership roles an election is good and I haven’t ever really considered any other way because Tulsa elects their mayor,” Moore said.
One person commenting on social media said Bixby residents should have a say because it has been “too many years of a pattern of ‘get your buddy in change things without the residents knowing and should (the city) be audited with the finances.’”
Bixby city leadership said the city is required to follow its charter when filling vacancies. In a statement saying part quote:
“Under the current city charter, vacancies such as the current Ward 4 City Council seat are filled through appointment by the city council rather than by a public election. Because the charter governs this process, the city is legally required to follow those provisions.”
Shultz also said residents who want a different process can pursue a charter amendment. The City Council began discussing possible charter changes last month, but no decisions have been made.
In the meantime, the city is accepting applications for the open Ward 4 seat and plans to interview applicants before moving forward with the mayoral appointment process.
