Jerry Wheeldon taking picture
Jerry Wheeldon, right, takes a picture of his grandson, Brannen Wheeldon, who sat in on his first City Council meeting on Monday.
The new year means new faces on the Somerset City Council, and Monday’s meeting saw all three of those new faces welcomed by their fellow councilors.
Even before the meeting began, a focus was being put on the three – Brannen Wheeldon, Margaret Dick and Phyllis Lawson. Wheeldon was elected to the seat recently held by his grandfather, Jerry Wheeldon.
The elder Wheeldon attended Monday’s council meeting in person, so he had a first-hand look at how his grandson did on his first night on the job.
All three new councilors also had the opportunity to greet the public, with all three saying some variation of “I’m excited to be here and get started.”
Brannen and Jerry Wheeldon
Brannen Wheeldon, seated at the Somerset City Council desk, was congratulated by his grandfather, Jerry Wheeldon, who previously sat in that chair.
Additionally, Wheeldon and Dick paid tribute to the city’s employees who had helped them through the transition into their new positions – or, as other councilors pointed out during their discussions, kept the city running during the weekend’s winter weather event.
Lawson, likewise, offered a thanks to those who had “reached out to me to give me support and guidance,” with one particular name perhaps coming as a surprise to some.
Lawson made a special effort to thank former Council Member Robin Daughetee, whom Lawson ran against in the November election.
“He has gone above and beyond making me feel comfortable. … I praise him and I appreciate everything he’s done for me,” Lawson said of her former opponent.
Somerset Mayor Alan Keck joined the veteran council members in welcoming the new ones. “I’m excited to serve alongside of you. … It’s an interesting opportunity when you develop relationships with folks that are outgoing, but can equally be excited about new members that have the community at heart, and I think both of those can be true.”
In other council personnel business, Keck informed the public how the position of mayor pro tem would be handled for the next two years.
The mayor pro tem – short for pro tempore – is a person that is designated to run city council meetings in the event that the mayor is unavailable. For Somerset, that position is decided by the voters. Whichever council member out of the 12 wards who receives the highest number of votes takes on the role.
However, in the November election, there was an actual tie for that top spot. Both Amanda “Bean” Bullock and Brian Dalton both received 2,888 votes.
For Kentucky politics, ties are decided by a literal coin flip. But in the case of Bullock and Dalton, Keck said the two worked out a system without resorting to the need for there to be only one winner.
Bullock will be the mayor pro tem on odd-numbered months, while Dalton will hold the position on even-numbered months, Keck said.
Not that Keck is planning on either needing to be called on, he said. “I don’t intend to miss any city meetings, so hopefully their services are not needed,” he said.
Dick and Lawson
New Councilors Margaret Dick, left, and Phyllis Lawson, right, discuss business before Monday’s City Council meeting.
Also at Monday’s meeting, council members heard the first readings for four annexation requests, two for privately-owned businesses and two for the utility rights-of-way that would get city lines to those businesses.
The first business that requested to be annexed was the Shell gas station and store on Raleigh Road, also known as D&D Shell.
City Attorney John Adams described the gas station as being located “right outside of Science Hill,” which drew questions from several council members who were concerned that the property was already in Science Hill’s city limits.
Adams assured council members that the property in question was not already part of a city limits.
The second business requesting annexation is the American Legion building on Enterprise Drive, behind the Somerset Mall.
Keck reminded the public that due to state law there is a 45-day waiting period for any annexation requests to allow time for county government to review. Because of that, Keck said the second reading of those requests would not be made until the end of February or first meeting of March.
Also at the meeting, Meghan Gilmore informed the public that the Somerset Sleep Out was scheduled to take place on January 24 from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the Ferguson Baptist Church.
The Sleep Out is an event meant to raise awareness and show solidarity for those who are unhoused.
Gilmore said there has not been a Sleep Out since before the pandemic.
The event is hosted by the Somerset-Pulaski Counter Interagency & Partnering Agencies.
More information can be found at the SOS-Sleep Out Somerset Facebook page.