The past year has been one of tragedy and transition for municipal leaders at Dodge City, where three mayors held the town’s top office in a span of less than 12 months, after two mayors passed away in short succession.
Longtime town council member Jason Burney was appointed to the mayor’s seat in December, capping a year that began on a sad note when former Mayor Tawana Canada died in January.
Canada’s loss was deeply felt in the south Cullman County town, where she had served as Dodge City’s second mayor following the 2009 passing of founding mayor Perry Ray. She started out in the office in an appointed role, finishing out an early term as Ray’s replacement, but would go on to be elected two more times to the seat before her Jan. 11, 2022, death.
In February, council member Anthony Todd was tapped to leave his position and accept the council-appointed spot as Canada’s replacement in February. Todd served as Dodge City mayor for six months before passing away in September, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of service to the town dating to the initial early-1990s petition push to incorporate Dodge City as a municipality.
Todd had continuously served on the Dodge City council for 26 years before stepping in to fill the mayoral vacancy created by Canada’s passing. After Todd died and the town was faced with addressing yet another community loss, the council named Burney — already a long-serving council member — to fill the empty seat in December as the town’s fourth mayor.
Throughout the year, the council vacancies left by Todd’s and Burney’s mayoral appointments had to be filled, too. Those seats went to March council appointee Jerry Lee Lynn, and later in December to Teeara “Chicky” Johns.
