Flynn is new Burnside City Clerk; council spot still to be filled

Mar. 17—Burnside City Council members entered their special called meeting on Thursday preparing to select a new city councilor and a new city clerk.

However, out of respect for the memory of late councilor Terry Vanover, only one of those things was done.

Vanover passed away last week at age 75, after battling cancer. He served a little over six years on the Burnside City Council, first from 2015 until 2017, and then from 2019 until his death.

The meeting began with Dwayne Sellers making a motion to appoint Lula Jean Burton, a former Burnside City Councilor herself, to fill out the remainder of Vanover's term, which would expire at the end of 2024.

However, councilor Carol Griffin wasn't ready to do that quite yet.

"Out of respect for Terry, I would just like to say that I'd like to wait until after he's buried before we do this," she said. "It feels like it's being rushed."

Griffin made sure to let Burton know this was nothing against her — "I love her dearly, but we've just not discussed it as a council before, and me personally, I just want to wait until after he's buried."

While Vanover will not actually have a burial, there will be a Celebration of Life service for his loved ones on March 25 at noon at Southern Oaks Funeral Home.

Nevertheless, other councilors wished to respect Griffin's wishes, even though there was a need to make the appointment.

"I respect that absolutely, and it's okay with me, but it was at Terry's insistence, he wanted us to (fill his seat) before, so it would be okay with him," said Sellers, who was Vanover's neighbor. "But it's okay either way. You've got a big heart. That's why we love you."

Time was something of an issue. Burnside Mayor Robert Lawson noted that he was getting ready to go into the hospital soon, and was "not trying to rush it," but he won't be available for the April city council meeting, and would need to be available to swear in Burton or whomever the council may ultimately select — Burnside Police Chief Mike Hill will serve as acting mayor while Lawson is unavailable, but is unable to swear in the replacement councilor.

Also, by law, the council only has 30 days to make the appointment, so the clock was already ticking on that task as of Thursday's meeting. City Attorney Molly Hardy said that they had until April 9 to get it done.

"This is your decision (as a council), it's not mine," Lawson reminded them.

The mood in the room was somewhat delicate, as the council tried to figure out how to best be sensitive to the matter at hand, not wishing to step on Griffin's preference, but still proceed with what needs to be done.

Councilor George Bryant saw both sides of the dilemma, he noted, while Randy Berry echoed Griffin's preference to wait until after the memorial service.

Councilor Keith Summers, on video conference call from another location, also believed the council should go ahead with the appointment as planned.

"It's the same outcome; I mean, there's no change in it, really," he said. "I think Terry would say, go on and fill my shoes."

It was acknowledged that a motion was on the floor. No one seconded it at first, but Summers went ahead and did so. Sellers laughed and said, "I was kind of hoping we wouldn't get a second," which provided a welcome moment of levity in the otherwise somber room.

Finally, it was decided that Burton — or any other council candidate — could visit Lawson's home and be sworn in there, rather than doing it at the next council meeting. So Sellers amended his motion to reflect the decision to wait until the April council meeting to appoint a new councilor and swear her in at Lawson's residence. The council unanimously approved the new motion.

For her part, Burton was perfectly okay with the way things turned out Thursday.

"I do think it was a very respectful thing to do to wait and replace the council member — whomever the council chooses — until after Terry's funeral," she told the Commonwealth Journal.

The other piece of business at Thursday's meeting took place as planned. Jerrica Flynn — who has been serving as Burnside's assistant tourism director and assistant city clerk — was bumped up to the city clerk position and sworn in alongside her mother Jessica Lee and grandmother Beverly Flynn as witnesses.

Flynn, a 2019 graduate of Southwestern High School and later the University of Kentucky in 2022, takes over the role held by Crissa Morris since 2011. Morris recently took the job as Pulaski County Treasurer.

"I feel great," she told the Commonwealth Journal after the meeting. "I had a good foundation with the city, and I'm ready to take it to new places.

"(Morris) is a treasured mentor for me, and I'm so proud of Crissa and where she's went, and we're both excited for each other and how we go into our new positions," she added.

Flynn noted that she has a long history with Burnside, going all the way back to playing in Cole Park as a kid, and "I'm just happy to come back to my hometown and hit the ground running."