Local News
The city of McCune is looking to fill four of six council positions, one of them the mayor, and hire four city employees after a mass resignation effective Wednesday.
McCune is looking for people to fill the vacant council positions — mayor and three council members — after which the council would work to fill the city clerk, part-time city treasurer, the city superintendent position and his assistant. The council needs a quorum to meet and take action.
Council members Jason Han and Debbie Smith remain. Han was the subject of a complaint to the Crawford County Attorney’s Office earlier this year. The county’s prosecutor refused to investigate the complaint alleging harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
Posts on social media and ads are trying to resolve the issue quickly.
One social media post indicated that the situation had been reported to the Crawford County Commission, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and the governor’s office. McCune City Attorney Dawson French is assisting in identifying emergency measures to restore city functions.
In the interim, according to a post on the city’s Face-
See COUNCIL, Page 2.
book page: — All essential services are being monitored for continuity.
— Residents are encouraged to remain calm and attentive to future announcements.
— Efforts are underway to convene a special election or secure temporary appointments to reestablish quorum and administrative oversight.
Former City Clerk Nicole’ Mays posted that the resignations follow a year of workplace challenges that deeply impacted the employees’ ability to serve effectively and with integrity.
“Despite numerous efforts to resolve the issue, including engagement with attorneys and consultations meant to correct the hostile work environment, these interventions were ultimately unsuccessful,” she wrote. The dysfunction undermined morale, she added.
A resignation letter written by one of the council members referred to harassment of city staff by a councilman.
