‘It blows my mind’: JoCo city leaders appoint newly sworn councilman as mayor amid shakeup
Minutes after being sworn in as a Spring Hill City Council member, Joe Berkey was named mayor of the southern Johnson County city on Monday in a major shakeup of leadership.
Berkey is taking the title two months after the contentious resignation of Tyler Graves, a mayor-elect who abruptly announced he would not take the office in November. In the time since, questions have lingered about what the future of local government will look like as some residents feel they have been cheated out of their votes.
The governing body’s decision, which Berkey played a role in, came after he was sworn in as an at-large councilman and sat on the dais for the first time. Following a nomination by Councilwoman Diana Roth, Berkey was chosen as the council president by a vote of 3-1.
“Congratulations, Mr. Berkey. You are the council president. And by our charter, you will now be sworn in as the mayor of the city of Spring Hill, Kansas,” said outgoing Mayor Steve Ellis, who left the meeting shortly after.
As a result, Berkey, a political newcomer, took two oaths of office on Monday — the first as a city councilman and the second as mayor. Berkey then took his seat at the helm and appeared to read from a prepared statement.
“I’m honored to accept this position, and I’m excited for the future of Spring Hill,” said Berkey, who cast one of the three votes that led to his appointment.
“I’m ready to get to work serving the community,” he added. “Thank you all, and God Bless America.”
Audience members apparently upset by the decision interrupted the meeting with remarks about transparency and the fact that no time had been reserved for public comment. The rumblings appeared to come mostly from supporters of Councilman Steve Owen, who cast the lone dissenting vote in the action that led to Berkey’s appointment.
Owen also left the meeting shortly after the decision was made. In a statement read on his behalf, Owen said he did not believe that the City Council was following its own rules.
“I will not be a party to any more of this tonight,” Owen said in the statement, read aloud by City Attorney Charles Dunlay. “The public has been shut out and kept in the dark on purpose. There should be full disclosure of all information shared with (the) City Council to include (the) city attorney’s written opinions.”
Owen did not respond to The Star’s request for comment on Monday night after he departed.
Residents of Spring Hill have questioned a series of developments in their city government lately that began with the resignation of Graves, the mayor-elect and a former city councilman. At the time of his resignation, Graves cited “unforeseen circumstances” that led to his inability to take the city’s top elected post.
Residents of the small town were surprised by the news, with some questioning why they weren’t informed earlier about what looked like a plan Graves had to move to Florida with his family. Following Graves’ resignation, The Star reported that he had sold his business and appeared to have started the process of selling his home well before Election Day on Nov. 2.
Together with his wife, Graves owned The Bean coffee shop, one of the few retail businesses in Spring Hill’s small downtown. The couple announced on Aug. 22 that they were selling the business in order to enjoy more family time together. A post on Facebook also referenced Graves’ responsibilities on the council and his mayoral race. Commenting on an Aug. 31 Instagram post about selling, the coffee shop made mention of opening a Florida shop.
On Monday night, Spring Hill residents packed the meeting room, some bringing in signs displaying support for Councilman Owen. Several voiced dismay after Berkey was announced as the de-facto mayor without an opportunity for the public to speak.
Among those who watched the council drama unfold in real time was Roy Riffel, a Spring Hill resident who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the City Council in the last election. Riffel, an Owen supporter, thinks the process that unfolded Monday demonstrates total disregard for the small town’s residents.
“We want better roads, we want more transparency from City Hall and we want the citizens to have a voice. And I don’t understand what part of that makes people so hateful to ensure people like Steve Owen do not become mayor,” Riffel said. “It blows my mind. And tonight they took the people’s voice away from them.”
With Berkey and Councilman Brian Peel — also sworn in on Monday — left sitting in the chamber, and Roth joining via conference call, the group took among its first actions the selection of Roth as the next council president. That decision was approved by Roth and Peel without opposition.
City leaders will soon have to decide a replacement for the council seat left behind by Graves. Consideration of another appointment was on the docket Monday night, but the meeting adjourned before action was taken on that matter.
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
