Classic German rock band ‘The Scorpions’ famously sang of the winds of change. Those same winds of change have continued to blow in the city of Wellington, as following the departure of councilmember Larry McKinnon the city again found itself in need of a new councilmember. As was the case before, three applicants looked to fill the vacancy, including one familiar face and two new applicants as Cody Austin was joined by Kathy Hascall and James Thayn in vying for the open seat.
All council members were present except for Brian Thayn, who was out sick for the meeting.
As for the applicants, Cody Austin was unable to make it to the meeting as he was working, but the council had the opportunity to get to know him during a special meeting of the council on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
This absence meant that Hascall would be the first applicant to speak to the council. “ First of all, I am a compassionate and creative person, I have high ideals and I am a person of integrity who takes pride in a job well done,” explained the candidate,” My strong points are in the ability to adapt and analyze what’s needed in any situation to arrive at the desired results.”
Hascall is a graduate of Charis Bible College, earning her associate degree in 2023 as well as a certification in practical government.
As for why she wanted to serve on the city council, Hascall replied,” We enjoy living in Wellington and we’ve lived here for a little over 12 years. I’d like to serve, and the city council seems to be a good place to do that.”
When asked what she thought the city council does, she responded,” I know you do budgets,” adding,” I’ve worked with large corporations with multimillion dollar budgets as well as small businesses with less than a hundred thousand dollar budgets.”
Hascall also described what change she would want to implement in the city if she was selected,” I would like to see what can be done about improving the look of Main Street. We have a lot of tourist traffic coming from here and I feel like we need something that’s inviting so that they want to stop and spend their money here.”
In closing, Hascall spoke on her ability to manage conflict by listening to both sides and by finding a solution equitable to both sides of an argument; citing her experience as a counselor at the Genesis Pregnancy Center.
Following Hascall, Thayn would take the podium to speak as to why the position should be his. “I worked with the water and sewer in town for the last 30 years, so I kind of have an idea and where it’s going,” he continued,” I’m the little guy trying to see where he can fit in.”
The council asked Thayn what direction he wanted the city to go,” There a lot of stuff looking to happen here, but the problem I see is that I’m not sure where the money’s coming from, I don’t know if we’ve got enough money.” He continued,” And I get that we’re wanting to be as big as Price or Helper but I don’t know if we’ll ever get there.”
As for an improvement he’d like to make to the city, Thayn stated,” I’d like to see the park be rebuilt over the summer. We need to do more in the park, make it look real peaceful, and have flowers and stuff like that.”
When asked about conflict management in the workplace, he replied,” I have a few conflicts with Wellington City, they’ve not been resolved.” The council asked him to elaborate, to which Thayn said,” You need to look into the stuff that I’ve been down here four or five times about. That’s the trucks down on Glen Wells.” The message taken by the council from this exchange was the need for better follow-up on issues citizens bring to the council.
Following the two candidates’ remarks, the council put the decision to a vote, where unanimously it was decided that Hascall should fill the vacant seat.
“I can’t wait to get started,” said Hascall to Castle Country Radio,” I’m kind of thinking, tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it. I can’t wait.”