The City of Lawton has filled a new position called City Council Relations Liaison

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) -Lawton Mayor Stan Booker said the City Council Liaison position is to help City Council coordinate with city staff and citizens.

So when a council member needs a meeting to work on a project or issue, they have one person they can count on to make sure it happens.

“It creates a lot of efficiency in the organizations, instead of a council member calling one of 15 department heads about something. The council member is able to go directly to the liaison person who can take care of a lot of those things,” Lawton Mayor Stan Booker said.

That’s not all the Liaison does, Donalynn Blazek-Scherler has been with the City of Lawton for 8 years, and was recently named the council liaison. She said in this new position each day is very different.

“I help write proclamations, coordinate meetings between the Mayor, between council members, and fill citizens’ complaints when they need to speak with a council member or the Mayor. I help write ordinances, I help put items on the council agenda. Basically, everything the council needs or the mayor needs I deal with,” Blazek-Scherler said.

According to Council Member Kelly Harris, before this new position council members had to go through the city manager to get information or speak with a city department.

“Like I couldn’t go and say hey there is a pothole out here that needs to be fixed, the manager has the direct the streets division to go fix that. We’re not allowed to do that. So now I can just give that to Donalynn and she can pass it to the city manager and see what he wants to do. But in the meantime, he’s not answering 15 phone calls all at the same time. The city manager position is incredibly busy, and I think it creates an efficiency we didn’t have before,” Harris said.

While the position has lots of contact with the city manager, Blazek-Scherler reports directly to the city attorney. Luckily city attorney John Ratliff is currently the acting city manager

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