June 17, 2020 Issue, Page 1 of 9

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Serving Western Oklahoma ince1901 Wednesday, June 17, 2020. ’ Weekday Edition Commission New board member passionate seeks local about education, arts By Don Munsch, Her experience so far on the board has been “very posi- Editor attorney to tive,” Archer said. Katie Archer has “Everybody seems very welcoming and willing to answer broad enthusiasm for questions and sort of guide me through the ropes and help- education, — including ing me figure out how things operate and what we’re looking head city one component of edu- at,” she said. cation: fine arts. She said Garrison has been doing a great job of keeping Archer joined the Elk board members informed and navigating through a challeng- By Don Munsch, Editor City Public Schools ing year. Elk City City Commission will seek a local attorney to board in April, taking Concerning what she'd like to see the district do in the be the acting city manager, with negotiations on tap. over the Seat 4 posi- future, she would like to see the district expand the arts pro- The commission approved, in a 5-0 vote Thursday after- tion previously held by grams, explaining the high school’s fine arts programs are noon, a move to have Mayor Nick Archer begin prelimi- Kelsey Merz, who left “pretty strong,” but there’s not quite as strong a presence nary negotiations toward appointing local attorney Tom the board for personal/ with middle school and elementary school. She understands Ivester to be the city’s acting city manager. family reasons. that budgeting issues come into play with those campuses’ Action to initiate the process to employ the interim city Katie Archer An Elk City native programs, but if the opportunity arose, she would like to see manager was tabled until today’s regular meeting. who attended Cheyenne the younger students get more exposure to those disciplines. Commissioners voted to terminate the employment of High School and graduated in 2002, Archer, 36, attended the In high school, she was involved theater and drama and the previous city manager, Lee Litterell, on June 4. Lit- University of Oklahoma and holds a bachelor’s degree in competitive speech and debate. terell had been city manager since 2015. architecture and is an architect for Rees Associates. She also Archer likes how the Elk City school system balances a Ivester is a former Oklahoma state senator who rep- has a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma relatively large school system with the individual experi- resented District 26 from 2006 to 2014. Ivester holds a City University. ence. She had some initial concerns about that balance when Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas She has served on the Elk City Education Foundation her son started elementary school, with 900 students in that Christian University and a law degree from the University board, but she had not served on school board or city com- building. But she said he has had a positive experience with of Oklahoma. He also holds a master’s degree in strategic mission before joining the Elk City Public Schools board. great teachers. studies from the Army War College. “[’m pretty passionate about education and what it can do Asa board member, she said she is receptive to talking to On Friday, Ivester told The News that he is interested [for people] and empowerment it can have for everybody,” people about concerns they have or anything going on the in the city manager position. Ivester said he met with the she said. schools. mayor and discussed the job and what each side’s expecta- After serving on the education foundation board, being on Archer is married to Nick Archer, mayor of Elk City, and tions were. the school board was a “pretty easy decision” to make after they have one son, Xander, who will be second grade this Ivester said there were a lot of considerations to exam- Superintendent Rick Garrison asked about her interest, she school year. The Archers are expecting their second child, a ine before he could take the job, if an agreement can be said. girl, in September. reached. He said his experience as a state lawmaker would be a “big benefit” to him. Alzheimer’s group to “T sat on the Senate Finacne Committee for many years where we crafted the state budget and all tax policy, and then on the State Senate Appropriations, where we did budget negotiations,” he said. have walk on Friday He said he also would bring to the table a “wealth of contacts” around the state and state government. Also at the Thursday meeting, the commissioners ap- Whiz proved canceling employee furloughs. See Attorney page 2. Republican primary foreshadows a ~ eng a nationally important general election By Breanna Mitchell, Gaylord News As Oklahoma’s Sth Congressional District June 30 pri- mary nears, the nine Republican candidates are vying for a shot at facing off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn. THE LONGEST DAY Democratic congresswoman Horn’s win in 2018 suggest- ed the historically red district, consisting of Oklahoma, Pot- tawatomie and Seminole counties, might contain undertones alzheimer's (25 association’ of purple. By Don Munsch, Editor attractions will be spread out in the park as much as possible The stakes are high for this race, according to Keith Gad- People wanting to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in order to allow social distancing for attendees. Those whc die, University of Oklahoma journalism and political science may participate in a walk in The Longest Day event Friday wear purple can ride the carousel, play putt-putt golf and ride professor, who referred to the 5th Congressional District as at Ackley Park in Elk City. the train for free. “the most Republican leaning district that a Democrat holds Participants can do an activity of their choice, according to Elk City Mayor Nick Archer, in an effort to encourage right now.” the Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma, in order to raise donations and support for the event, has agreed to get a pie But only three of the nine Republican candidates running, awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Association care, sup- in the face for every $100 raised. State Sen. Stephanie Bice, former Superintendent of Public port and research programs. “Last year was our first event and we had around 200 peo- Instruction Janet Barresi and businesswoman Terry Neese, This week includes a period of Painting the Town Purple ple attend,” said Julie Western, founding committee member have established themselves as the primary’s frontrunners. activities, with local vendors decorating their buildings in for the Western Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Collaborative, in the “T think that Barresi, Bice and Neese all have specific purple and participating through specials, sales, auctions and release. “We're hoping the community will join us in rais- strengths they’re bringing to the table,” said Tyler Johnson, special items, according to a Alzheimer’s Association news ing funds and awareness for this event. Our goal is to hele University of Oklahoma political science associate profes- release. provide needed resources for our neighbors, while having < sor. “{They have] these muscles that they’re flexing that On Friday, from 6 - 8 p.m., at Ackley Park there will be little fun.” make them deserving of being at the front of the pack.” a walk, health fair, food and fun, with events hosted by the Cynthia Barnes, The Longest Day manager for the See Foreshadows page 2. Western Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Collaborative. Booths and See Alzheimer’s page 2. Weather Vol. 118, No. 50 Mail delivery View online AEA tomorrow oe 97 / 70 75 cents, 8 pgs. 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com