Long-time community leader and CPA George Klein is the new mayor of Chadron – more officially the new president of the Chadron City Council, which makes him the ex-officio mayor.
Klein and the 3 other candidates elected to the city council last month – Mark Graves, Shane Shepherd, and Miles Bannan – took the oath of office Monday night before Klein was elected president and Joe Johndreau vice-president and vice-mayor.
Klein, Graves, and Shepherd all began 4 year terms last night with Graves and Shepherd new to the council and Klein continuing after being appointed to fill out this year’s part of the remaining term of Keith Crofutt, who resigned.
Bannan had chosen not to run again for a 4-year term, but after Crofutt’s resignation decided to file for the final 2 years of that term and was unopposed.
Mark Werner and Cheryl Welch, who both lost reelection bids, each offered congratulations to their successors and thanked them for their willingness to serve
Welch expressed her gratitude to her family, friends, and others who supported her during her 4 years on the council and her 2 election runs – calling her husband Steve her “greatest supporter” and thanking Werner for his effort to make Chadron a better place.
Welch described her time on the council as a “challenging and time-consuming” experience that gave her a better appreciation of leadership. She also called on the new council to “keep the women of Chadron in mind when making decisions” because her departure leaves no female on the council.
Werner offered similar thanks and the retired Navy man left the new council with the old mariner’s wish of “fair sailing and balmy seas.”
All 5 current council members in their closing remarks at the end of the meeting thanked Werner and Welch for their dedicated service to the community.