Owasso resident appointed Pawhuska city manager

The long-time interim position of Pawhuska city manager will be permanently filled by Jacob Wilmott Nov. 12, following his unanimous appointment by Pawhuska City Council. 

“I'm looking forward to bringing some change and stability to the town. I’m looking to be a new point of view, a new approach maybe. Not that it hasn’t been well taken care of; sometimes it’s nice to have a fresh, new look at things,” Wilmott said.

Wilmott will replace Pawhuska City Clerk Tonya Bright, who has served as interim city manager since Dave Neely’s resignation in March.

City Council offered the job to Anthony Rogers, a former Ponca City Police officer, in July, but the offer fell through before Rogers reported to work.

One of two final candidates for the position, Wilmott, an Owasso resident, has a political science degree from Oklahoma State University. Most recently, he worked as an investigator for the Osage Nation, but has also worked with the Pawhuska Police Department and state law enforcement. 

“It gives me a good insight into the functions of a city … you wear a lot of hats as a police officer. You have to know who handles certain situations,” Wilmott said.