The City of Watonga has received several letters of interest from those residents seeking to fill the open city council seats. Those seats were vacated by the August resignations of Bill Seitter, the at-large member and Travis Bradt, who served for Ward #4.
Those sending letters of interest are Jena Green, Alison Tock, Willis Bedard, Daryl Cathey, Neal Riley, Mary Boden, Warren Hock and Howard Hursh. Names are listed in no particular order.
Jena Green has been a teacher in the Watonga schools and was a business developer in Texas prior to moving to town. She lives in Ward #4 Alison Tock has lived in Watonga at least 15 years. She wrote she is moved to apply for a council seat to serve the community and participate in its betterment. She lives in Ward #3, so would be seeking the atlarge seat. Also seeking the atlarge seat is Willis Bedard, a candidate for the Ward #4 seat who has been redistricted. Bedard owns the Rook Mansion.
A third seeker for the at-large seat is local businessman Daryl Cathey. He has a U-Haul rental business, a construction company and owns the Hotdog Joint. He previously owned a dispensary.
Neal Riley would also like the at-large seat. He has lived in Watonga his entire life and owns the Abstract & Guaranty of Blaine County.
Mary Boden lives in Ward #4. She is a longtime resident of Watonga and previously worked for the state in child welfare and support enforcement. She also worked for the Blaine County Clerk.
Warren Hock has lived in Watonga for six years. He is a resident of Ward #4. He is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and a former manager for American Airlines at Will Rogers Airport. He currently works for Signal Peak Silica in Oakwood.
Howard Hursh is a resident of Ward #4. He wrote he is interested in the council seat because he is concerned about the future of the town.
Verlen Bills has lived in Watonga more than 50 years. He is a former business owner, firefighter, fire chief and city clerk, working for five mayors. He is interested in the at-large seat, since he lives in Ward #3.
The sitting council could do a number of things. It could select two members from the letters of interest submitted, or it could choose not to select anyone, instead waiting for the upcoming election cycle.
Candidates for the April election will have to file at the Blaine County Elections Office February 3-5. The seats up for filling are Ward #1, Ward #2, Ward #4 and the atlarge seat.
To qualify for election, the individual must be a properly registered voter and have lived at the residence inside their ward for six months or longer. There is no filing fee for this election.
Candidates must file by ward but are elected at large. That means that any properly registered voter can cast a ballot for candidates in any ward, not just the ward in which they live.
Wards # 1 and 2 are for full four-year terms but at large and Ward #4 are to fulfill the unexpired terms and will be up for re-election in 2027.
Ward #1 is currently represented by Kayla Ragsdale and Ward #2 is represented by Tina Willis.
The election to decide the four seats, whether the sitting council appoints interim representatives or not, will be held April 1, 2025.