Gehlbach declines nominationDeputy City Clerk Susan
Gehlbach has taken her name out of the race for city clerk in the
April 7 election and will not be the Republican replacement of Melanie
Riggs, who withdrew from the election after tendering her
resignation on Feb. 9.
Mayor Beth Davis-Kavelman informed the council that in a
meeting earlier in the day, Gehlbach had declined seeking the
position.
Gehlbach told the council she had decided that she didn’t want to
run for office and would prefer to just keep her job as the deputy
clerk.
As deputy clerk, Gehlbach’s job description includes filling in
as acting city clerk when needed. However, with no city clerk at the
moment, the council will need to vote Gehlbach in as an interim
clerk. A miscommunication at the last workshop meeting resulted in
that vote being omitted from the agenda for this week. It will be
added for the March 2 meeting.
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Alderman Verl Prather said that when the motion is made, he wants
to make sure that it includes giving Gehlbach the clerk’s pay
retroactive to Feb. 9, when she took on Riggs’ duties as clerk.
No benefits for the incoming mayor
The council voted unanimously to remove the health, dental and
life insurance benefits from the compensation package for the
incoming mayor. This will save the city just under $8,000 per year.
In making the decision, the council said that because the mayoral
position is not full time, benefits should not be included, as in
most workplaces nothing is offered to part-time employees.
Main Street Lincoln presents a gift to the city
Barb Reinwald, president of Main Street Lincoln, along with
Jackie Baker, grant administrator, and the mayor, as co-chair of the
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of Lincoln, presented the
city with a print of the painting done by artist Jennifer Boeke
entitled "Lincoln in Lincoln."
The painting depicts a rally at the Logan County Courthouse on
Oct. 16, 1858, when Abraham Lincoln was a candidate for a U.S.
Senate seat.
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Reinwald said that the original painting is currently located in the
board room of the president’s office at Lincoln College and will
eventually be on display at the new Heritage Museum on the college
campus.
The print given to the city is No. 200 of the limited edition
prints. She said that the 200th print was specifically selected for
the city as a representation of the 200th anniversary of Abraham
Lincoln’s birthday.
"The city of Lincoln was instrumental in establishing the Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and it is only right that a
commemorative piece be placed in City Hall," Reinwald said.
She expressed appreciation to Alderwoman Wanda Lee Rohlfs, who is
also executive director of Main Street Lincoln, for writing the
grant that enabled the painting to be commissioned.
City will seal fairground surfaces
The Logan County Fair board, a private entity, not part of county
government, has asked that the city apply seal coat to all the paved
surfaces at the fairgrounds. This is something that the city has
done in the past, and it is only requested about every eight years.
The motion was made that the city will do the work with the
understanding that the fair board will reimburse them for materials
and labor.
The vote was 9-0, with David Armbrust abstaining.
Armbrust has been involved with the fair board for the past 30
years and said that he would abstain from voting to avoid a conflict
of interest.
[By NILA SMITH]
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