Marion reps quit county panel
Managing editor
Four of five City of Marion appointees have resigned from Marion County Economic Development Council. Some cite issues with leadership of the council.
Todd Heitschmidt, Margo Yates, Jackie Crofoot, and Don Noller resigned. City economic development director Doug Kjellin remains on the board as a requirement of his job.
Marion City Council approved the resignations Monday.
Mayor Mary Olson said she and other mayors in the county were working to resolve the issue.
“Our representatives feel there is something that needs to be worked out with the county economic development director and the county commission,” Olson said.
Heitschmidt’s reason for resigning was that he recently was appointed to the NetWork Kansas board of directors. He was concerned these duties might diminish his involvement with the county council.
Others stated in their written resignations that “recent decisions and actions … have further divided the communities in the county.”
Resigning members stated they could not support an organization that “does not have the confidence in that they are truly for the betterment of Marion and Marion County.”
After the meeting, Teresa Huffman, Marion County Economic Development Director said she was saddened by the resignations but excited about including more representatives from other cities in the county.
“The issue is the mayors and the county commissioners would like some changes made to the bylaws so there is more equal representation from the county,” Huffman said.
City councils throughout the county appoint representatives to serve on the volunteer council. Currently, the number of appointments is based on the city’s population. Marion has five seats on the council.
At the last county economic development meeting, Huffman said, there were four representatives from cities that hadn’t been active with the council.
“This is the result of commissioners listening to communities in the county and being open to suggestions and some changes,” she said. “They feel like they will finally have a voice. This is a good and positive thing.”
Huffman said she had no vote on the development council.
Olson said she would appoint herself to serve as a Marion representative.
Councilman Steven Smith said he did not want Olson to appoint herself since there already was a city official on the council. He encouraged Olson to attend meetings, if she so desired, but not to become a formal member. She agreed.
The county economic development council meets monthly to discuss ways to assist in economic development countywide.
