SANDUSKY — Come Monday, there are big changes in Sandusky.
For the first time in 12 years, former commissioners Dennis Murray Jr. and Dick Brady won’t be in attendance when the city government meets. The ex officio mayor and vice mayor team presided over their last meeting last month to sustained applause.
Now, this new commission will have to select new leaders for this next two-year term. It’s an organizational meeting on Monday, and all seven commissioners have an equal opportunity to take on the role and also to vote for the mayor and vice mayor positions—also known as president and vice president of commission.
Murray and Brady served in each of those roles during their terms, unanimously selected by their colleagues on commission six times during past organizational meetings.
Come Monday, it will be this commission that must decide. New commissioners — Luvada Wilson, Gregg Peugeot, and Tom Tucker — join veteran commission members Kate Vargo, Richard Koonce, and Jeff Krabill at the table in chambers starting at 5 p.m.
Vargo is the only commissioner who has clearly set her sights on a leadership role. Wilson, as the top vote-getter in November, is also believed to be considering asking for support. She’s kept her intention a little closer to the vest. Commissioners Jeff Krabill and Dave Waddington both have said they believed Vargo could be effective.
The Rules of the Game: How the Vote Works
Under the Sandusky City Charter and the Commission Rules of Order, the selection of leadership is the first order of business for the new year. Here is how the process will unfold:
The Interim Chair: City Manager John Orzech will preside over the start of the meeting. He holds the gavel only until the new President is sworn in.
The Open Vote: Unlike a general election, this is an “open vote.” Per Section 4.07 of the Rules of Order, the President and Vice President are elected by a majority vote of the members. There are no secret ballots; every commissioner must state their choice publicly.
The Powers: The “Mayor” title is largely ceremonial, but the President of the Commission holds the real power: they control the meeting’s flow, regulate debate, and—crucially—take command of police operations and city resources during a declared state of emergency.
Link here: AGENDA
Agenda Preview: Why Monday Matters
Monday isn’t just about who sits in the center chair; it is about the “organizational DNA” of the next two years. For the first time in a decade, the commission is untethered from the Murray-Brady era. This meeting will reveal the new power dynamics: will the veteran members consolidate control, or will the three newly elected commissioners act as a voting bloc to demand a different direction?
Beyond the internal politics, the agenda includes a massive hand-off of waterfront property. The city is set to formally accept the Boeckling Building from Six Flags (Cedar Point). This is a pivotal moment for downtown development, but it comes with a “check the fine print” warning: the city is inheriting a vacant, historic structure that will require significant capital and a clear plan to prevent it from becoming a liability.
Finally, the Commission is moving to change the rules on how it spends your money. Item 5 on the agenda proposes a Charter change regarding spending and contract limitations. If passed, this could grant the City Manager more autonomy to approve contracts without a public vote. In an era where taxpayers are demanding more transparency, moving the “bidding threshold” is a high-stakes play that the new leadership will have to defend immediately.
Solid breakdown of the organizational meeting dynamics. The shift from a 12-year leadership duo to a completely reshuffled commission creates interesting possibilities for governance change. That Item 5 spending threshold adjustment is huge tho--moving bidding authority away from public votes during a transition period when new members are still finding footing could be problematic. Transparency tends to erode fastest when procedures get quietly amended under the guise of efficency.