Frankfort City Council At-Large and Board of Public Works and Safety member Megan Sheets has announced her resignation as she cements plans to move out of Indiana.
A letter of resignation was received from the Clinton County Clerk’s Office on May 31 declaring a vacancy in the Frankfort City Council for the At-Large seat as Sheets prepared her departure from the council. A notification of vacancy will be mailed on June 5 with a caucus to be held later in June. Sheets stated that while her final date of participation on the council will be July 1, she is prepared to help ease the transition by speaking with the incoming candidate after their victory in the caucus.
Sheets stated that her departure from the council was the result of the need to downsize and experience different opportunities within another state, such as South Carolina where Sheets and her sister spent numerous family vacations throughout their lifetime.
“My sister and I live here in Frankfort, it’s a two-story home and we’ve decided it’s time we downsize and go to a single story,” Sheets said. “While we were thinking about it, we kind of thought, ‘well, what about the change of season? Wouldn’t it be nice to be somewhere that’s warm year-round?’ That drew to South Carolina to consider because it’s an area that we’re both familiar with from years of family vacations going back to when we were teenagers together.”
Sheets stated that the decision to depart from the Frankfort community was not a simple decision, but rather the decision required the consulting of family members and colleagues to ensure that her family knew that her absence was temporary as she would visit them frequently and that the city would be set to continue on its path of success.
“I first spoke with my family, of course my grandchildren and so forth, but then the next people I spoke with were Mayor Sheets and Greg Miller, of course who comprise the Board of Works, and decided that July 1 (was the date),” Sheets said. “I met with them first to share the news with them. I definitely didn’t want them to hear it from anyone but me. We picked the date July 1 so there was a lead time.”
Sheets stated that becoming a political figurehead within the Frankfort community was not a goal she had set for herself throughout her life, but when the opportunity arose, she drew upon her service as the United Way for Clinton County Executive Director and her service on numerous nonprofit boards to motivate herself to run for office, which she held for just more than four years.
“It was never my plan growing up or through my adult years to run for political office,” Sheets said. “I was always quite satisfied behind the scenes aiding other friends and people I was interested in holding office and helping them in any way possible, but then the opportunity came to serve on the council, and I thought ‘why not me, and why not be of service to the community?'”
Through her first term and the beginning of her second team on the council, Sheets stated that she has been witness to and has been an active participant in numerous projects that have recently come to fruition in the Frankfort community, such as the Frankfort Police Department station and the Sapphire Bay Aquatic Center, and she looks forward to seeing the continued advancement the city will make in the future.
“So many great things have happened,” Sheets said. “I think notably with the complete build of a new Frankfort Police Department from the design to the financing and everything from the ground up, the build of the aquatic center that we have that’s an offering to the community unlike anything they’ve had before and we’re on the precipice of getting ready for a new fire station. Nothing like that has been tackled in over 50 years, and I’m happy to have served in the initial capacity of that. It will be fun to watch that take place from afar.”
Sheets, who participated actively on the finance committee and with the city budget, stated that the strides the council and the city have made throughout her terms has left her with confidence that the city will continue to thrive.
“I think the fiscal responsibility as a council is very notable,” Sheets said. “We have been able to stay within budget, and each year gain ground on working toward achieving a balanced budget, and the budget for 2024 is the closest we’ve come to resemble that endeavor and build up our Rainy Day.”
Sheets continued to comment about her time on the Frankfort Board of Public Works and Safety where she took an additional role to discuss personnel, contracts and more, stating that the board and the department heads worked together effortlessly to ensure the best circumstances for the community.
“We strive for excellence in this community and in the management and administration of this community, so we want excellence in the department heads,” Sheets said. “Definitely, now, we have all the right people in place, and everyone is serving admirably. I am just very proud of all the dedication and effort each department head does.”
Sheets expressed her gratitude for the continued support of the community in her endeavors.
Megan Sheets’ Statement to the Frankfort Community:
A caucus to fill the City Council At-Large Vacancy has been set for June 22 beginning at 10 a.m. Declarations of candidacy must be filed by 10 a.m. on June 19, and forms may be obtained at the Clinton County Republican Headquarters Office or at the City Clerk-Treasurer’s Office in Old Stoney at 301 E. Clinton St. in Frankfort. The candidate that wins the caucus will take office on July 1.
Republican Party Chairman Jim Moyer announced that only Republic Precinct Chairmen in Precincts 1 through 20 and Precinct 39 will vote in the caucus to select the next Frankfort City Council At-Large member.