By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
For the first time since last December, the Great Bend City Council was fully “staffed” Monday night. The eight-member board has been operating with seven councilmembers the past eight months due to the absence of Brock McPherson.
With a recent ordinance put in place forcing McPherson to resign
because of so many unexcused absences, Mayor Cody Schmidt organized a committee
to recommend a replacement.
"Councilmembers Natalie Towns, Davis Jimenez, Jolene Biggs and myself interviewed two applicants last Thursday," said Schmidt. "It was a mutual agreement that we would like to recommend appointing Rickee Maddox.
The council approved the recommendation with a 7-0 vote. Maddox will serve the remainder of McPherson’s 4th Ward term that
will expire in January 2025.
In June, the council passed an ordinance stating when a council member fails to
take the oath or is absent from four consecutive regular meetings that the
position will be deemed vacant. McPherson missed 16 consecutive meetings.