Posted: Friday, February 29, 2008 12:00 am
From correspondent reports
SHERIDAN n A city administrator will not be part of Sheridan's city government after city residents rejected the position in a special election Thursday. More than 2,000 people voted on the measure, but it failed by 134 votes, City Clerk Art Elkins said.
City residents requested the special election through a petition shortly after the Sheridan City Concil voted to create the city administrator position in October. A city administrator handles a city's technical and day-to-day operations, which frees up the mayor to handle policy and planning issues.
The city administrator position had caused great discussion throughout Sheridan, and public meetings, radio programs and newspaper ads were used by those for and against the new position as they tried to reach voters to help them better understand what a city administrator would mean for Sheridan. Those against the ordinance said they wanted an elected mayor running the city day-to-day instead of an unelected, hired administrator, while those who advocated for the position said it would provide for more professional day-to-day management.
The move means the top administrator position stays with Sheridan Mayor Dave Kinskey, who favored the city administrator position.