BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

CANEY —Alyssa Whitman, the 18-year-old daughter of Caney city administrator Don Whitman, was appointed by the Caney City Council on Monday night to fill the unexpired term of a ward 3 council seat.

Don Whitman said her daughter’s quest to be on the council was strictly her idea.

“I had nothing to do with it,” he said. “Alyssa really wanted to see what it was like to serve on a city council.”

Alyssa met all of the requirements for serving on the council. She meets the minimum age (18), is a resident within ward 3, and is a registered voter.

And, she was the only person to apply for the ward 3 council position that was left vacant with the recent resignation of councilor Kelly McIntosh, who moved outside the city limits.

Don Whitman said he conferred with city attorney Paul Kritz about the matter prior to Monday’s meeting, and Kritz reported back that there was nothing illegal about a family member of a city department chief or city administrator serving on the city council. In fact, such council-family connections have happened before. For example, Jason Moore, who is the other councilor from ward 3, is the son of city superintendent Walt Moore.

The younger Whitman will be allowed to take part in all council debates, discussions or votes but will abstain from voting should the issues concern her father. Those issues would include job evaluation or performance, contract extension and salary compensation.

Whitman graduated from Caney Valley Jr.-Sr. High School in May and was class salutatorian. She currently is an honor student at Coffeyville Community College, where she is active with the Phi Theta Kappa honors sorority.