Owasso police chief named Skiatook city manager
BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
SKIATOOK – Owasso Police Chief Dan Yancey has been hired as the new city manager of Skiatook.
The Skiatook City Council approved the move at a special meeting Monday night, Mayor Josh Brown said.
Yancey, 49, who served as Skiatook police chief for 2½ years in the early 2000s, has been Owasso’s chief since January 2003.
“His ability to lead is what got our attention, along with his experience in Skiatook already,” Brown said. “We knew what he could bring to the table as far as a leadership role.
“There’s never a cirumstance I can remember where he has lost his professionalism or composure. When it gets hot under the collar, he’s there. He’s cool as a cucumber most of the time.”
Yancey, who will start at Skiatook on Feb. 11, will move into a position formerly held by ex-town coordinator Martin Tucker, who left this summer after the municipality declined to renew his contract. Skiatook voters in November OK’d a proposition to switch from a town form of government to council-city manager template.
Although he never has been a city manager, Yancey has more than 28 years in law enforcement, including stints at the Pawhuska Police Department and the Osage County Sheriff’s Office. Brown said he worked with Yancey in the sheriff’s office.
“He has 20-plus years in municipal government experience,” Brown said. “You have to be proven, and he’s been proven. He’s led the Owasso Police Department, and that’s a good department. We’re excited.”
Yancey will receive a two-year contract with an annual base salary of $70,000, plus benefits, Brown said.
Yancey said years ago he had planned on retiring from law enforcement when he turned 50, which is less than a month away.
“Actually, I was thinking about totally retiring,” he said. “This came along, and I thought maybe I can make a difference somewhere else.”
Owasso City Manager Rodney Ray said the municipality expects to name Deputy Police Chief Scott Chambless as interim police chief.
“I would have preferred Dan to have stayed here forever,” Ray said. “He certainly is one of the better police chiefs I have worked with. I think his legacy here will be a police department that embraced technology and looked for ways to serve the public.”
Associated Images:
Then-Owasso police chief Dan Yancey answers media questions during a press conference back in July 2012. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World File
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