Council President Signed Lucrative, “Sweetheart” Independent Contract With Recently Resigned Clerk, Sources Allege

By Logan Andrew
FreeWire Magazine — Your News, Your Voice

BUCYRUS — Just two weeks after resigning from her position as Bucyrus City Council Clerk for what she described in her resignation letter as “moral and ethical reasons,” Kelli Patterson-Tussey was quietly rehired by Council President Kurt Fankhauser as an independent contractor at a higher hourly rate to train her replacement — a deal made without discussion or approval from council as a whole.

A Contract Signed in Silence

Documents obtained by FreeWire show that on October 21, 2025, Fankhauser signed a five-page independent-contractor agreement with Patterson-Tussey authorizing her to provide “Council Clerk Training” at $35 per hour, not to exceed 25 hours per week.

Only Fankhauser and Patterson-Tussey signed the contract. There are no signatures from the law director or any administrative officials beyond the financial paperwork later tied to the payment.

A purchase order dated October 20 lists $1,750 for “Council Clerk Training” under account 101-7735-52360 (“Council Outside Contracts”). The document contains signatures for City Auditor Kali Lewis and Safety-Service Director Tommy Starner, acknowledging the expenditure on behalf of the city.

According to Auditor Kali Lewis, the $1,750 represents only the amount of the current purchase order, not the full potential cost of the arrangement.

“It is the amount of the current Purchase Order Kurt asked for in his requisition,” Lewis explained. “He could put in another requisition for another purchase order to be created if the money is available — which is why he wanted $5,000 to be moved to outside contractors at the last meeting.”

Lewis confirmed that while there was technically money available in the line at the time, that doesn’t mean the expense was financially responsible.

“Were there funds available? Yes. But there are other expenses that typically use that money by the end of the year, which could bring that line into the negative,” she said. “It’s not my role to decide how council spends its budget if the money is available on the line — it’s up to the department head to understand their budget.”

From “Ethical Reasons” to a Rumored New Job

In her resignation letter earlier that month, Patterson-Tussey cited “moral and ethical reasons” for stepping down less than a month into the job. Since then, multiple sources have told FreeWire that she was offered — and may have accepted — a position in Congressman Jim Jordan’s office, though that has not been officially confirmed.

Her quick rehiring under Fankhauser’s direction has drawn criticism from both inside and outside City Hall — and reignited broader concerns about how the council president, who often presents himself as a champion of transparency, conducts city business when it suits him.

Public Backlash and Allegations of Favoritism

A Facebook post by Rachel Myers, who serves as both Councilman Kevin Myers’ wife and campaign manager, circulated widely after she shared screenshots of the contract and purchase order. The post called the arrangement a “very shady deal,” accusing Fankhauser of bypassing procedure and creating another financial mess for council to clean up.

“If he had even run the idea past the city auditor, he may have known there were not funds available to hire such an unnecessary contractor who had been previously employed in a capacity to do the same job just two weeks prior — at $10 less per hour,” Rachel Myers wrote.

Her post also argued that Fankhauser’s decision would “force the hand of council to move money to this fund to avoid a potential lawsuit,” a problem she said could have been avoided entirely had proper channels been followed.

A Shift in Standards

The move has also raised eyebrows because of its contrast with how Fankhauser handled former clerk Miranda Wise’s resignation earlier this year. When Wise gave her two-week notice, Fankhauser publicly criticized her for leaving early and demanded that she be held to the full two-week period.

Yet just months later, he rehired Patterson-Tussey — who not only failed to work a notice period but then received a pay increase to perform “training duties” that most employees complete as part of their standard two weeks without additional pay.

The contrast has fueled accusations that Fankhauser’s standards shift depending on whom he’s dealing with.

Questions of Authority

The contract raises questions about whether the council president has the authority to hire outside contractors without prior approval or legal review. While the auditor’s office processed the paperwork, there is no record showing that council voted to authorize the expense or that the administration was consulted beforehand.

Neither Fankhauser nor Patterson-Tussey has publicly commented on the contract.

The Transparency Paradox

For someone who’s spent the past year accusing colleagues of secrecy and fiscal recklessness, critics say Fankhauser’s actions tell a different story. The council president who preaches oversight and accountability now faces scrutiny for what many view as a sweetheart deal benefiting a former employee — one who left under a cloud of self-declared “ethical” concerns.

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