July 18, 2023 |
Photo – Medicine Bow Entrance Sign – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Medicine Bow Town Council held a special meeting Friday to rescind the mayoral vote and elect a new council member.
As reported by Bigfoot99, during the July 10th Medicine Bow town council meeting, the council accidentally voted themselves out of a quorum. At least, that is how Town Attorney Robert Piper saw it.
At the July 10th meeting, council member Bradley Buum acted as Mayor Pro Tem following the resignation of Lucy Schofield. In her resignation letter, Schofield did not provide an official reason for her departure, but sources in town tell Bigfoot99 that she quit due to personal conflicts with a local business owner.
During the July 10th meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Buum asked for a motion to appoint him as mayor. Council members Sharon Kahl and Cindy Chase voted their approval. Attendees of the meeting quickly spoke up, saying that the mayor lacked the authority to vote, meaning the council lost their quorum. Without the required number of council members for a quorum, Attorney Piper called the July 10th meeting to an end.
The town attorney said the Carbon County District Court would need to step in and appoint a new council member before another meeting could take place.
On Friday evening, the Medicine Bow town council held a special meeting to discuss Wyoming statute 15-1-108, titled Powers and Duties of Mayor. Section A, Subsection Six, of the statute states that the mayor can vote on all matters except to override a veto or confirm an appointment, except in the case of a tie. By voting Mayor Pro Tem Buum as mayor, the council was left with only two sitting members, causing them to lose their quorum. Since the mayor has no legal authority to vote on the appointment of more council members, the town could not fill the vacant council positions.
The July 14th special meeting agenda states that the town council considered a resolution to reverse the appointment of Buum as mayor. The agenda also says the council reviewed letters of interest from residents willing to fill the vacant council seat. Casey Federer resigned her position during the June 12th council meeting.
A call to the Medicine Bow town hall revealed that the resolution to unseat Mayor Buum passed. Bigfoot99’s reporter was told that a new council member was chosen and, with a quorum in place once again, Buum was voted back into the mayor’s office. Bigfoot99 was told by a different source that Justin George, the owner of JB’s Stop-N-Shop, was selected as the new town council member. The same source said the town also appointed a new clerk after Joshua Smith resigned following the July 10th meeting.
