The following is an op-ed that is a letter of recommendation for an applicant who filed to fill the vacant seat on the Salina City Commission. Those who wish to contact commissioners and submit a letter of recommendation for an applicant can do so by emailing them:
- Mayor Mike Hoppock: mike@landtitlesalina.com
- Commissioner Trent W. Davis, M.D.: trent.davis@salina.org
- Commissioner Greg Lenkiewicz: commishlenk@gmail.com
- Commissioner Doug Rempp: drempp1@gmail.com
After you submit your letter of recommendation to commissioners about an applicant, you can send it to newstips@salinapost.com, and we will review it for publication.
Click here to see the full list of applicants who filed for the vacant seat. Commissioners will make the appointment at the August 24 public meeting.
Salina Post believes this would allow the commissioners to hear from the public, since there is no public vote involved in this selection process.
By: JAY VANIER
Dear Mayor Hoppock and Commissioners Davis, Lenkiewicz, and Rempp:
I am writing to strongly recommend Brian M. Weisel for appointment to the vacant seat on the Salina City Commission. Brian brings an unusually strong combination of executive leadership, public-sector experience, military service, business and economic-development experience, and advanced education in public administration. I believe he would bring thoughtful, practical, independent, and results-oriented leadership to the Commission.
Brian has been a Salina resident for approximately 25 years and has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to this community. He currently serves as Director of Quality Improvement/Lean and Director of the SRHC Lean Academy at Salina Regional Health Center. In that role, he leads process-improvement and Lean Six Sigma initiatives designed to improve performance, reduce unnecessary costs, increase efficiency, and produce measurable results. Those skills translate particularly well to municipal government, where commissioners must balance the delivery of essential public services with fiscal responsibility and accountability to taxpayers.
His professional experience extends well beyond healthcare. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Brian has worked in management consulting, aerospace, energy, government, information technology, telecommunications, and manufacturing. He has led organizational transformations, developed performance measures, analyzed complex operations, and helped organizations make decisions based on objective data rather than assumptions. He previously served as Raytheon's Salina Plant Manager and Program Manager, giving him direct experience managing a significant local business operation and an understanding of the importance of jobs, investment, workforce development, infrastructure, and a healthy local economy.
Brian also brings meaningful governmental and civic experience. His background includes service on the Derby City Council, experience with the Salina Planning and Zoning Commission, involvement with the Salina Airport Authority and Salina Community Economic Development Organization, and service on the Kansas Banking Board of Directors. He therefore brings experience relevant to many of the issues that regularly come before a city commission, including land use, infrastructure, economic development, public finance, community growth, and the relationship between government and the private sector.
His academic credentials further distinguish him. Brian holds a Master of Public Administration from Wichita State University and a Master of Political Science from Auburn University, as well as a master's degree in counseling and a bachelor's degree in history. His education in public administration is particularly relevant to the responsibilities of a city commissioner because it provides a strong foundation in governmental organization, policy, budgeting, administration, and public service.
Brian's record of military service is equally impressive. As a United States Air Force B-1B and B-52G/H combat flight instructor, he accumulated more than 4,700 flight hours and served in positions requiring leadership, discipline, sound judgment, teamwork, and the ability to make consequential decisions under pressure. His military professional education includes Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, and National Security Management through the National Defense University.
Perhaps most importantly, Brian would bring to the Commission a disciplined and analytical approach to problem solving. His professional career has been built around examining how organizations operate, identifying problems, measuring performance, finding practical solutions, and determining whether those solutions actually work. Municipal government increasingly requires exactly that type of approach.
Salina faces important decisions involving economic development, housing, infrastructure, taxation, budgeting, workforce development, land use, and maintaining the quality of life that makes people and businesses want to remain in or move to our community. Brian understands both the public and private sectors, has managed large organizations, has participated in local government, and has spent decades developing the skills necessary to evaluate complicated issues objectively and make decisions based upon measurable results.
The appointment of a city commissioner is an important decision because the individual selected will immediately participate in decisions affecting Salina residents, businesses, taxpayers, and the future direction of our community. Brian Weisel has the experience, education, leadership ability, judgment, and commitment to public service necessary to assume that responsibility from his first day on the Commission.
For these reasons, I respectfully encourage each of you to give Brian Weisel your strongest consideration and your vote for appointment to the vacant Salina City Commission seat. I believe Brian would be an outstanding addition to the Commission and would serve the citizens of Salina with professionalism, integrity, fiscal responsibility, sound judgment, and a genuine commitment to making our community stronger.
Sincerely,
Jay Vanier
Salina, Kansas