Déjà Vu in Bucyrus: Fankhauser Once Again at Center of Council Clerk Office Controversy

BUCYRUS — If you’re getting the sense that we’ve been here before — we have.

Council President Kurt Fankhauser is once again being accused of trying to take control of the Council Clerk’s office, despite a 2021 ordinance that specifically forbids it. The ordinance was passed in response to nearly identical behavior from Fankhauser that year — behavior that led to the abrupt resignation of then-Clerk Todd Hill and a full rewrite of who controls what in City Hall.

This week, Councilwoman Clarissa Scheffler-Slater sent a formal complaint to Bucyrus Police Chief Jon Dorsey, stating that a city employee had witnessed what they believed to be an illegal lock change on the Council Clerk’s office. Upon investigation, it appeared that Fankhauser was not changing the locks, but was instead attempting unauthorized access to the office, a space he no longer has legal authority over.

Slater’s letter called it a repeat of “the issues that led to the passage of Ordinance 13-2021,” and requested that Fankhauser be required to return his keys.

Meanwhile, during a recent council meeting, Fankhauser openly demanded to know who had the keys — triggering immediate flashbacks for anyone who remembers the last time this happened.

Todd Hill: “He made it impossible for me to do my job.”

Former Council Clerk Todd Hill, who resigned during a 2021 public meeting after weeks of behind-the-scenes tension, told FreeWire that the parallels are undeniable.

“In April 2021… the Council President had literally made it impossible for me to do my job by taking the keys to my office and forbidding me to talk to anyone in City Hall or use any office equipment not located in the Clerk's office,” Hill said.

Hill had asked Council to change the city code so that the clerk would report to the full council — not just the president — but the proposal never made it to a vote. Instead, Council passed Ordinance 13-2021, which stripped the Council President of any direct control over the office, records, or council chambers. That authority was given instead to the Public Lands and Buildings Committee.

“Council did pass legislation taking away the Council President’s authority over the Council Clerk’s office, given what had transpired in April 2021,” Hill noted. “Given that, his once again taking possession of that office would now be illegal, I should think.”

Hill’s resignation was shocking to those in attendance that day. In the middle of a tense meeting, he stood up, said he was done, and left.

“I am going to make this real easy for you. You have my resignation effective as of right now. I’ll have a letter on my desk before I leave this evening. I’ll turn my keys in as well, and I think that’s all I have to say.”

According to reports at the time, the Council President had not only seized control of the office but also installed a motion-activated device that sent alerts to his phone when someone entered. The device was dubbed a “tattle-tale” device. Public backlash was swift.

Groundhog Day

In her letter, Councilwoman Slater reminded city officials that Ordinance 13-2021 was passed specifically to prevent the kind of behavior Fankhauser appears to be repeating.

If true, the current situation isn’t just a political problem — it could be a legal one.

Slater formally requested that the Bucyrus Police Department treat the matter as a potential criminal trespass and warned that Fankhauser’s actions may constitute the unlawful commandeering of public office space. If the BPD feels it has a conflict, she asked that the matter be referred to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.

Whether or not law enforcement gets involved, the optics are clear: the same man who once forced a resignation and triggered a change in city law is now facing scrutiny for nearly identical actions.

Gobrecht: “The mentality of a child”

Law Director Brandon Gobrecht, who was the target of Fankhauser’s accusations during Monday's meeting, did not hold back in his own written statement:

“On Tuesday morning I went to City Hall to find the Administration complaining, the Council President being a bully, and there being confusion about the keys,” Gobrecht said.

“The Council President started making wild accusations that I had done something with the keys, and implied I had done something improper. I advised… that I believe the proper holder of the keys would be Public Lands and Buildings. Nobody listened to me.”

“The Council President then took possession of the keys and refused to give up control, storming out talking about Council not being able to do any administrative duties… The whole thing is laughable. The Council President was absolutely furious that he didn't know what happened with the keys. I am reminded by my 5th or 6th grade English teacher, Mr. Campbell, who taught us sternly that just because you don't know where something is DOES NOT mean someone automatically stole it.

“The Council President has the mentality of a child… The keys were never missing and were accounted for at all times — until now.”

Gobrecht closed with a plea to residents to ignore Fankhauser’s antics and focus on the real work being done at City Hall:

“I would like to point out to the public, though, that the grownups at City Hall have been busy. I am preparing for a domestic violence trial involving an elderly victim, as well as a suppression hearing involving an OVI. The police department has been hopping under the new Chief, and there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we are working on in the Administration.

Despite this sideshow circus, we continue to do good, solid, work for the citizens. I'm positive the Council President will continue to make new, and stupid, controversies about some make believe issue the next time we have the ability to announce something great for the City so no one pays attention to it, but we are working tirelessly to get things done despite every roadblock imaginable being thrown in our way.

I implore the Citizens not to buy into his narrative that we aren't doing anything, and quit being distracted from the good things we are accomplishing as a City.

What Comes Next?

The question many are asking is whether Council — or voters — will take action this time. Fankhauser is already facing criticism for his lawsuits against the city, his public feuds, and the use of city resources to amplify personal grievances. His continued grip on council leadership may be starting to wear thin.

If nothing else, this week’s controversy proves one thing: in Bucyrus politics, history doesn’t just repeat — it uses the same set of keys.