Tyler Ficken, (City of Hastings, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — The new Hastings City Clerk not only has a lot of familiarity with the community, but also the majority of the position’s duties.
Members of the Hastings City Council voted 8-0 during their regular meeting on Dec. 16 to approve the appointment of Tyler Ficken to be Hastings City Clerk, effective Jan. 4.
Ficken, 42, has served as Fremont City Clerk for the last nine years and City Clerk in Junction City, Kansas for seven years prior to that. He is a Hastings native and 2001 Hastings Senior High School graduate.
“I always thought maybe I would have the opportunity to work for the City of Hastings someday,” he said.
His family includes wife Casey and daughter Nataya.
Ficken earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Wayne State College and master’s degree in public administration from Kansas State University.
He has always been interested in government in general, but local government specifically.
“That’s where I think you have an impact on your own community,” he said. “That appeals to me.”
Ficken started working for the City of Hastings on Dec. 18 and has been training with his predecessor Kim Jacobitz, who is retiring effective Friday Jan. 3. The Hastings City Clerk’s office also includes Assistant City Clerk Lori Vorderstrasse.
“Everybody has just been very welcoming, and everybody is excited to have me here,” Ficken said.
Jacobitz has worked for the City of Hastings since September 2005, starting first as Administrative Assistant for the Engineering Department.
She was appointed during the Hastings City Council on Dec. 17, 2014 to be City Clerk effective Jan. 1, 2015 following the retirement of former City Clerk Connie Hartman.
Ficken said Jacobitz has been a great resource as he gets up to speed on the record keeping processes for the City of Hastings.
“Kim has provided a lot of information and spreadsheets, and she has a lot of great systems down,” he said.
City Clerk duties include record keeping and licensing, as well as working with City Council members and other city staff members overseeing meeting management.
Whether it is working with council members, the public or other city staff members, Ficken said it’s important to him to make sure everyone is getting what they need to be able to do their jobs successfully.
“If you can help other folks out and help them do their job well, my feeling is they return that favor and help you do your job well too,” he said. “If everybody’s doing their job well, then the community is well served.”
Unique to the clerk’s role in Hastings, is coordinating property, casualty and workers’ comp insurance policies and procedures for the City of Hastings.
“All of that is probably different than what Tyler is probably used to, but he’s a quick study,” Jacobitz said. “So, he will do great.”
