COMMISSION
Emily Allen
(Mayor)
Emily Allen began serving on the Ottawa City Commission in October of 2015. After a brief hiatus from 2018 to 2021 due to moving outside of city limits, she was elected once again in November of 2021 to a 4-year term.
Emily lives in town with her boyfriend, her two kids, her “bonus” kids, her dog, Chino, and her cats, Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson. She graduated from Emporia State University in 2012 and then completed her Master’s degree in Leadership through Baker University in 2015. She has served on various boards in the past, including CASA, Communities in Schools, the Play Task Force, Ottawa Area Young Professionals, and Ottawa Main Street board. Currently, Emily is serving on the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium board.
Emily believes in leading by example. She wants her kids to see how changes are made and what a little hard work can do. She hopes to make Ottawa the type of place that her kids will want to raise their future families in.
Zach Clayton
(Mayor Pro-Tem)
Zach Clayton was born and raised in Ottawa. He graduated from Ottawa University with a degree in Management of Information Systems. He has worked for both Ottawa University and Franklin County’s Information Technology departments. He spent several years working in Health Care IT for Cerner in Kansas City, MO. In 2019 Zach started Picket Fence Properties, a local property renovation company and in 2021 he started Clayton & Son Construction, as a general contractor in Ottawa and is working on his real estate license.
Zach is involved in several areas of construction in and around the Ottawa area including working as a General Contractor, property renovator, home flipper and landlord.
He believes that serving on the City Commission is the best way that he can positively impact the City of Ottawa long term. Providing a quality, maintained infrastructure is key to improving the lives of citizens while encouraging continued growth is something he values. He wants to focus on sidewalk and accessibility improvements, continued housing growth, as well as finding ways to keep broadening the services available within Ottawa to current and future residents.
Eric Crowley
Eric Crowley moved to Ottawa with his family in 1979 and graduated from Ottawa High School in 1996. After graduation, he began his career as an electrician and in 2006 opened Advantage Electric. Eric married Carissa Tucker in September of 2017. They have three children, Seth, Bryce, and Raegan.
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He is involved in many areas of construction in Ottawa including, electrical contractor, builder/developer, foam insulator, house flipper, renovator and landlord.
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Eric is a member of Leadership Franklin County Board of Trustees, Ottawa Memorial Auditorium Advisory Board, and attends meetings for Play Task Force as well as other organizations in town. He previously served on the Construction Board of Appeals.
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He believes that by working together, Ottawa can be a wonderful place to live, work and raise children. As a commissioner, he wants to focus on building relationships with contractors and city officials to ensure constant, steady construction to fill housing and job needs
Sara Caylor
Sara Caylor believes that when more Kansans are connected together, amazing results will be realized. Sara has years of public engagement experience serving on the Ottawa City Commission since April 2011, four terms as Mayor of Ottawa. Sara has been an active board member for the League of Kansas Municipalities (LKM) since 2018, elected President of LKM in 2020.
Subsequently, Sara is an appointed member of the Kansas Fights Addiction Board, Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA) Board of Directors, UnitedWe Kansas Women’s Economic Development Task Force, Advent Health Ottawa Charitable Association board, and the Elizabeth Layton Center (CMHC) board. Sara earned both her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from Washburn University. Her work has given her unique insight into the struggles of many Kansans. Sara currently serves patients and families who are in the final season of their lives receiving hospice services.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Sara is a proud parent two daughters who will stand on her shoulders and continue to dedicate themselves to a better Kansas.
Mike Skidmore
Mike was born and raised in Ottawa. He graduated from OHS in 1974, and K-State in 1978, with a degree in agricultural economics. After his high school sweetheart, Marilee Thornburg, and him were married, he moved to central Kansas where he began his career in banking. His family came back to Ottawa in 1995.
His three children graduated from Ottawa High School, and he has continued his banking career, while becoming an active member of various local organizations, including Franklin County Leadership Class (graduate), Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce (past chairman), Franklin County Development Council (past chairman), and Ottawa University Chancellor's Council. He was first elected to the Ottawa City Commission in 2013, and has served two terms, which have included two one-year stints as mayor. Additionally, his wife and him are members of Ottawa Bible Church, and he is the treasurer of Agape Interfaith Ministries of India.