Ellis mayor: AG ‘still out’ on Patee’s potential incompatibility to serve

Dena Patee is executive director of Ellis Alliance. — Dena Patee is executive director of the Ellis Alliance.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Ellis governing body and specifically, new city council member Dena Patee, are still waiting for an opinion from the Kansas Attorney General about her potential incompatibility to serve.

Patee was the top vote-getter in the Nov. 8 general election. She was informed after votes were tallied that the city’s attorney, Olavee Raub, believes Patee is incompatible to serve because of her employment with the Ellis Alliance.

Patee has served a director of Ellis Alliance since its formation in July 2007. Of the group’s approximate $34,300 budget, the city of Ellis contributes $12,500. Other primary stakeholders include Ellis County, the Community Foundation of Ellis and the Ellis Industrial Development Corp.

Raub drafted a letter Nov. 10 to Patee, who has since been sworn into office and is participating in council meetings. The city council voted unanimously in late Nov. to purse the AG opinion.

Since then, the AG’s office has “requested more information three times,” Ellis Mayor Dave McDaniel said Saturday.

Although the situation is “causing some tension,” according to McDaniel, “I feel she’ll be exonerated, if that’s the right word. Of course, she would have to not vote on some issues.

“It’s a small town and people need to work together in multiple leadership positions,” he added.

During the Feb. 6 council meeting, Mayor McDaniel “noted a conversation he had with State Representative Ken Rahjes during Local Government Day where Mr. Rahjes received a call from a female stating the City had a personal vendetta against Ms. Patee as to the reasoning behind the Attorney General’s opinion,” according to meeting minutes. McDaniel then said he wanted “it to be stated for the record that the City in no way has ever had a personal vendetta against Ms. Patee, and the Attorney General’s opinion is purely a legal issue to protect the City against current and future Council decisions.”

“There is no vendetta,” McDaniel said again Saturday, shaking his head. McDaniel was in Hays for the state legislative update by four area legislators, including Rep Rahjes.

Since she took office in Jan., Patee has not had to abstain from any votes. “It just happens that no city council vote has come up that involved the Alliance, Community Foundation of Ellis or the Walter P. Chrysler home,” Patee said Monday. The Ellis Alliance is a central point of contact for many of the town’s local organizations, including the Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Group and Travel and Tourism.

“In a small community, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find enough people interested in serving, and they’re going to be related to somebody or be involved in another community board,” she added.