Bucyrus City Council Recap: Feuds, Lawsuits, and a Chief’s Plea for Sanity to Prevail

by Logan Andrew | FreeWire Magazine — Your News, Your Voice

The August 19 Bucyrus City Council meeting once again showed just how divided City Hall has become. The evening featured clashes over procedure, fiery public commentary, a deepening feud over the council’s official Facebook page, and a sobering call for unity from Police Chief John Dorsey.

Agenda Fight Opens the Meeting

Council President Kurt Fankhauser tried to slip unanimous consent into the agenda, despite members of council having been clear for months that they don’t want to use it. Councilwoman Clarissa Slater immediately moved to strike it and require voice votes instead, noting that members frequently dissent on items like meeting minutes and deserve their votes to be clearly heard.

Ironically, Fankhauser argues unanimous consent saves time, but his refusal to drop the issue has the opposite effect — forcing council to amend the agenda each meeting would waste far more time. The measure to require voice votes passed 7–0, underscoring just how isolated Fankhauser is on the issue.

Greg White’s Criticism Spurs Debate

During public participation, resident Greg White accused council of mishandling the clerk hiring process, approving contracts without oversight, and failing on budget transparency. Almost immediately after he described members’ behavior as “demented and bizarre,” Councilwoman Vicki Dishon called a point of order and read aloud the rule barring “personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks” from public participants.

Fankhauser, however, did what he has so often done when his allies are involved: ruled that White could continue. He defended the remarks as protected speech and pivoted to a familiar whataboutism, recalling when Galion resident Keith French had criticized him during a past council meeting. What Fankhauser conveniently left out is that he himself had French removed from that meeting by a Bucyrus police officer. The inconsistency did not go unnoticed.

White was ultimately allowed to continue. He ended by urging state investigators to probe city legal matters and alleging a city employee had been drawing pay without working.

Auditor Kali Lewis later clarified that White’s claims about misallocated funds were unfounded, and Slater corrected him on permanent meeting books, explaining they are not legally required to be completed until year’s end.

Citizens Plead for Change

Two residents followed White with emotional appeals. Gary Daiber, 73, said he was “almost crying” at the bickering, urging leaders to live up to the prayer for unity that had opened the meeting. Alena Fox again demanded Fankhauser’s resignation. He replied simply, “I am not planning on resigning.”

The Facebook Feud Intensifies

Councilwoman Vicki Dishon pressed Fankhauser on why he had not complied with Mayor Bruce Truka’s request to remove three posts from the official council Facebook page that appeared to be personal commentary. Fankhauser dismissed the request as pressure from a “left wing woke mob” and insisted posts cannot be deleted because they are public records.

When asked by FreeWire if he agreed with Fankhauser’s characterization that his decisions are influenced by buzzwords, Mayor Truka answered tersely, “No.” He added that posts can be deleted “as long as there is a record of the post archived in some fashion” — a view consistent with that of legal experts we've asked.

The dispute was later referred to the Health & Safety Committee to consider a formal communications policy.

Chief Dorsey: From Festival Report to Plea for Civility

Police Chief John Dorsey, who rose through the ranks from lieutenant to captain before being appointed chief last month, delivered what should have been a straightforward report. He detailed a safe and orderly Bratwurst Festival, with only a handful of OVI arrests and minor disturbances, praising his officers’ professionalism throughout. He also outlined leadership changes: promoting a longtime officer to Captain to manage administration and another to Lieutenant to help mentor younger officers. The department, he said, is on a stronger footing than it has been in years.

But Dorsey’s remarks didn’t end with policing. Having sat through an hour of squabbling, he pivoted sharply, speaking from the heart about the state of city leadership. He reminded council that his own officers had embraced stricter standards of professionalism and accountability, and that it was past time for elected officials to do the same. “We owe it to everybody to start being more professional,” he said, recounting feedback from his younger officers.

“Remember what called you to come from this side of the railing to over there. It wasn’t to get likes on Facebook. It wasn’t to sue somebody. You wanted to make a difference.” He urged them to leave their personal fights outside the chamber and “do the job while you’re here.”

The candor was striking. The room fell silent before breaking into applause, and several council members publicly thanked Dorsey afterward, with councilman Kevin Myers saying he had “blown expectations out of the water.” For many in attendance, the chief’s words cut through the noise more effectively than anything else said that evening — a reminder that while council drags itself into legal fights and Facebook feuds, the community still expects leadership.

Executive Session Highlights Legal Strain

Council then entered an executive session to discuss incoming litigation, notably excluding Fankhauser. The exclusion strongly suggests the topic involved one or more of the several lawsuits Fankhauser himself has filed against the city. Each suit forces the city to pay a $5,000 deductible to its insurance carrier, with potentially much higher costs if outside counsel is required — especially since Fankhauser names the city’s law director in his suits, blocking him from defending the city.

Slater’s Call for Unity

After the closed session, Councilwoman Slater made an emotional appeal against online harassment that has targeted her and her family. She described how a misleading video led to Children’s Services investigating her children — a case quickly closed as unfounded. Slater urged critics to “leave my personal life alone,” stressing that motherhood and public service are not mutually exclusive. Her remarks echoed earlier calls for leaders to focus on serving the city, not tearing each other down.

Moving Forward

Council adjourned at 8:52 p.m. after assigning a proposed encroachment agreement to Platting and the public communications issue to Health & Safety. The night’s events made clear that while Bucyrus faces serious legal and political challenges, both citizens and officials are calling louder than ever for professionalism and unity.