Walton City Council voted councilwoman Terri Courtney to serve as the city’s interim mayor Monday evening.
The vote took place at a special meeting in which candidates for the position were allowed to make statements advocating for themselves for the vote.
The candidates included three councilmembers—Courtney, Amy Long and Dan Martin—as well as former mayor Mark Carnahan and Bruce Bloomer, a veteran. Eric Tungate had submitted a letter of intent but withdrew his name from the running.
Following the candidates’ statements, council went into a closed-door discussion to determine the best person for the role. According to city attorney Michael Duncan, the executive session served so council could “freely discuss the pros and cons of the candidates without tarnishing someone’s reputation to the public.” Further, council members were not allowed to vote for themselves.
The decision was made 4-1, with Long abstaining. Courtney did not vote.
“Can I just say, I appreciate the confidence council has in me, but most importantly, it’s not a one-man show,” said Courtney following the vote. “I look forward to working with the entire council, just to move forward and do what’s right for not only the taxpayers, the citizens here, the businessowners, as well as our city employees.”
Courtney has served on the city council since February 2020, filling the position of former councilman John Wainwright, who resigned from the position. She was then elected to council in November.
Her move into the new role follows the recent resignation of former Mayor Gabe Brown and an investigation into his conduct as mayor.
Council released a 79-page report of the investigation’s findings and made seven charges against Brown, which included misuse of city property and hundreds of thousands of dollars of city money.
Council hired special counsel Bryce Rhoades to lead the investigation and an outside consultant, former Ludlow city administrator Elishia Chamberlain, to conduct a financial audit of the city and offer recommendations for how to prevent such misuse from happening in the future.
According to Rhoades, the city has begun implementing some of Chamberlain’s recommendations, including implementing a new purchase order system that allows the city to better document purchases; drafting a budget to forecast, plan, and monitor revenue collection and expenses; discussing the city budget and financial review; reviewing the city’s personnel policies pertaining to purchasing and use of credit cards, equipment, and documenting city property; potentially establishing a finance committee; reviewing the city’s procurement policies; clarifying separation of duties among city employees; and employing a part-time city administrative officer.
Chamberlain will assist Council in moving forward with these steps throughout the remainder of her contract in June.
Electing a new interim mayor is the first step. Courtney will serve as mayor until the upcoming election in November when residents will have the opportunity to vote for the position. Courtney said she plans to put her name on the ballot for election.
Courtney is a lifelong Walton resident. She is not currently employed as of earlier this month, which she said means she can pay more attention to her duties as a city employee.
“My time can be totally occupied just to this position and try to move the city forward,” Courtney said.
Flexibility and communication are two of her biggest goals for moving forward as interim mayor. Courtney has said at previous meetings that communication between the mayor and city council was insufficient.
“I look forward to working side by side with council just to move the city forward,” she said. “It’s going to be a team effort, unified, and although there’s a separation of powers, that’s not my vision. Together, I want to work with council to do what’s right. Tomorrow’s a new day. It’s going to be a good day.”
In her first day as mayor, Courtney said she plans to meet with employees and city residents.
Courtney’s move to mayor means a seat is now vacant on City Council. According to Martin, council will be accepting letters of intent from interested applicants until 4 p.m. on Monday, June 3.
It’s expected that a decision will be made to fill the seat at Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, June 13.