City Council President and Wavelinc CEO moves to reconstruct his image amid public scrutiny.
Wavelinc tower, photo from Wavelinc’s Facebook
Facing mounting public criticism, Kurt Fankhauser — City Council President and CEO of WaveLinc — sent a letter to the City Council on Monday, announcing his decision to donate his ISP tower’s annual revenue to the city. While the gesture appears commendable on the surface, its timing and mentions of former Council member Dan Wirebaugh suggest it may be a strategic move aimed at damage control.
We reached out to Wirebaugh for his reaction, and he didn’t mince words:
“His [ Fankhauser’s] letter only reinforces my statement to council, the administration and the citizens of Bucyrus. If you’re doing nothing wrong and are truly sitting on council for the betterment of the community, is a two page letter necessary to explain this?? He resigned last time under the guise of conflict of business when he was trying to scam the county out of grant money so he could run fiber optic cable throughout the county.”
Wirebaugh’s claim is supported by a Telegraph-Forum article titled “Wavelinc Owner Kurt Fankhauser Asks Crawford County Commissioners to Consider Fiber Optic Investments.” It details Fankhauser’s efforts to convince Crawford County leaders to allocate $1.8 million in federal funds toward creating a fiber optic network in partnership with his company.
“Kurt Fankhauser, president and founder of WaveLinc Communications, spoke with Crawford County commissioners about broadband infrastructure during a meeting Wednesday. After explaining where the county now stands on the availability of high-speed internet service and the lack of fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH, in most communities, he encouraged the county leaders to use the federal money to partner with his company for the creation of a fiber optic network.
Fankhauser, who recently stepped down as president of Bucyrus City Council, estimated the total cost of the project at slightly less than $1.8 million.”
Wavelinc owner asks commissioners to consider fiber optic investment
The owner of a local wireless internet provider wants county officials to consider investing American Rescue Plan funds…
Other council members also weighed in. Council member Zyan Hickman remarked, “The letter reeks of ego, as usual.” Clarissa Slater, a frequent attendee of Council meetings, had a more detailed critique:
“Stating he’s benefiting from a contract is why this is an issue. We aren’t boycotting WaveLinc, we are expressing our displeasure in how the relationship currently creates an unfavorable power dynamic between himself and the public. The president of the legislative authority of our city — a politician with political motives and most likely business and personal motives as well — has unfettered, instantaneous access to almost 30 surveillance cameras at the park, splash pad, pool, and uptown. Those surveillance camera feeds do not go to city hall, they are downloaded to WaveLinc’s servers. Only after the data has been saved on his server is it distributed as an acceptable feed to city hall.
When you mix private business ventures with your public position, the public is allowed to be critical of that. Please listen to your constituents and donate the cameras to be placed on a security contractor’s closed circuit.”
Not all citizens are quick to criticism. Collin Mosley wrote on Facebook, “I really think what he did was a nice thing man. 24 [thousand dollars] is 24 [thousand dollars].”
Fankhauser’s recent behavior has drawn fire for allegedly using his position to undermine Council member Kevin Myers and his wife, Rachel. Fankhauser publicly attacked Rachel Myers for donating discounted T-shirts from her business, Print Happier, to the Bucyrus Police Department, citing ethics laws. Print Happier attempted to fully donate its services, but even that was met with Fankhauser’s objections, claiming that it was improper for the wife of a Council member to donate because it is in itself an advertisement that benefits the company.
In response to backlash, Print Happier has since released video evidence showing the return receipt of the 46 T-shirts ordered by the Police Department. Yet, fans of Fankhauser remain critical of Rachel Myers, demonstrating the lingering tension surrounding this issue.
Video showing Print Happier returned the 46 T-shirts originally ordered by Bucyrus Police Department
Critics argue that Fankhauser’s donation announcement may be another example of hypocrisy. While his letter itself may not be an advertisement, his YouTube channel regularly promotes WaveLinc and its charitable efforts toward Bucyrus, often signed off with his title as City Council President. Until recently, he used this title in videos that blended public and private interests — a practice strikingly similar to the allegations he leveled against Rachel Myers.
Whether Fankhauser’s actions violate ethics laws is a question for legal experts, but in the court of public opinion, his reputation is under fire.
Local businesses contributing to the community is commendable, and as a publication, we don’t take issue with generosity. However, it’s our duty to hold public officials accountable, especially when their actions seem steeped in self-interest. Our role as a watchdog requires us to scrutinize PR stunts that other publications might overlook.
Our commitment is to you, the reader, and it always will be.
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