Richard Ranzau to lead Sedgwick County Commission this year
Richard Ranzau will lead the Sedgwick County Commission this year.
It will be his first time with the chairman's gavel. Ranzau, a Republican, is in his second four-year term as a commissioner. He represents District 4, which includes north-central Wichita, Park City and Valley Center.
Commissioner Karl Peterjohn nominated Ranzau for the post. New commissioner Jim Howell voted for Ranzau, as did 2014 chairman Dave Unruh and Ranzau himself.
Commissioner Tim Norton, the only Democrat on the commission, nominated Unruh as the chairman.
Ranzau nominated Peterjohn as pro-tem of the board. Norton nominated Unruh. Howell and Unruh voted for Peterjohn, as did Peterjohn.
The chairman leads meetings of the board; his vote does not carry any more weight than the other commissioners’.
Before he turned over the gavel, Unruh gave the annual chairman’s award to the Sedgwick County Zoological Society, which helps support Wichita’s zoo and has been instrumental in raising money for the Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley exhibit expected to open Memorial Day weekend in 2016.
Reach Deb Gruver at 316-268-6400 or dgruver@wichitaeagle.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SGCountyDeb.
This story was originally published January 14, 2015 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Richard Ranzau to lead Sedgwick County Commission this year."