Heitschmidt to appoint replacement to council seat
News editor
Last week’s city election is set to be the first step of changing faces with the city of Marion. Todd Heitschmidt and Chad Adkins will be in new positions on the council, and Heitschmidt’s election creates a vacancy on the council.
There are also new faces in a couple of non-elected positions, with Woodrow Crawshaw Jr. expected to be appointed as city clerk and Terry Jones as economic developer.
Council member
After reviewing statutes, Heitschmidt said it appears the mayor recommends a candidate to fill a vacancy on the council, which then requires council approval to finalize.
Heitschmidt said he has already spoken to a couple of people as possible appointees, but to cover all bases, if anyone is interested in the council seat, they can contact him at Central National Bank at (620) 382-5600.
Heitschmidt hopes to appoint someone at the next council meeting Monday.
City clerk
Heitschmidt plans to appoint certified public accountant Woodrow Crawshaw Jr. as city clerk, nearly a month after Crawshaw was offered the position. Crawshaw already has started work for the city.
He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washburn University and received his CPA designation in 1977. When he received the designation, it required a college degree with an emphasis in accounting, two years of audit experience — which he got with Arthur Young & Company, now Ernst & Young — and passing a 2½ day test over accounting, auditing, law, and theory.
“It’s grueling,” Crawshaw said of the test.
He spent 18 years as controller for Excell Industries in Hesston, overseeing the accounting, credit, and office departments. He has also done independent tax preparation and accounting since 1969.
While working in Hesston, he would make trips to the Kingfisher at the county lake and decided he wanted to move to the lake when he retired. He bought a place at the lake in 1992, then moved their full-time in 1997.
He didn’t fully retire, though, keeping his independent tax preparation business and driving a school bus for USD 408. Crawshaw was recognized in August for 10 years with the district. He also worked with the county ambulance department as a billing clerk and later an office manager from 2004 to 2008.
Crawshaw said the city clerk position is a good fit for his accounting background.
“This is a financial position,” he said. “I enjoy the financial world.”
Economic development
The city has offered the economic development director position to Terry Jones of Marion, conditional on passing routine screenings, after selection by a panel.
“This is the second time we interviewed him,” said Heitschmidt, who was on the interview panel.
He was a finalist when the city hired Roger Holter in May 2013.
Heitschmidt said he liked Jones’ outgoing, people-oriented personality, as well as his background in sales and cold-calling. Holter agreed that experience in being told “no” as a cold-caller would help Jones in his new position.
Holter plans to work closely with Jones, to get the best of Holter’s experience and Jones’ enthusiasm.
Jones could not be reached for comment.