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Council appoints Lee Sawyer to Saint Joseph Regional Port Authority after public comment alleging procedural irregularities
Summary
The Saint Joseph City Council voted to reappoint Lee Sawyer to the Saint Joseph Regional Port Authority. Resident Kenneth Reeder used public comment to allege long‑standing noncompliance in the appointment process; the presiding official and clerk disputed his account before the council voted to confirm the nomination.
The Saint Joseph City Council confirmed Lee Sawyer to the Saint Joseph Regional Port Authority by a voice vote recorded in the transcript as carrying unanimously.
Council member Novak nominated Lee Sawyer to serve a term expiring May 7, 2032; the nomination was included on the meeting's pulled consent item and taken up later in the session. Resident Kenneth Reeder approached the microphone to speak in opposition to how appointments are handled, calling the Port Authority "one of the most non compliant boards" he's encountered and saying he followed posted application rules but felt the process had been "circumvented on behalf of somebody." Reeder added that he had extensive Missouri River experience and criticized the board's public accessibility while also saying of Sawyer: "He's perfect. He's great. He'll be great on this." (Kenneth Reeder, public commenter.)
The presiding official responded that the clerk had not indicated whether other applicants had applied and stated "all candidates did apply by the date required," which the clerk confirmed. The presiding official called Reeder's characterization a misstatement for the record. When Reeder continued to dispute the clarification, the presiding official asked an officer to remove him from the meeting room; the council then voted and the presiding official announced the motion "9 0, it carries." (Presiding official and Clerk.)
The item closes with the council reappointing Sawyer to the Port Authority; the transcript does not record a formal second for Novak's nomination prior to the vote, and there was no extended council debate. The council also noted earlier that one consent agenda item (no. 22) drew an abstention from Council member Schultz, but that abstention was unrelated to the Port Authority appointment.
What happens next: Sawyer's reappointment was recorded as carried during the meeting; the council did not state any additional follow-up action on the nomination during this session.
