City Beat January 6, 2021

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January 6, 2021

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In Memoriam

City says goodbye to Judge Steve Conatser

Municipal judge, local attorney served community for 40+ years

By Kelli Williams

City of Bartlesville

As the world celebrated the holidays and counted down the days to the end of a tumultuous year, many Bartlesville residents and City of Bartlesville staff were rocked by the death of one of their own: Municipal Judge Steve Conatser passed away at his home on Dec. 24. He was 72.

James Stephen Conatser, known by many as "Judge Conatser" and others simply as Steve, served as the City of Bartlesville's municipal court judge from February 1981 until his death last month. It was a position he handled seamlessly, displaying wisdom, reason and integrity for 40-plus years.

"I don't recall ever receiving a complaint about the municipal court process or Judge Conatser, who presided over the Court for so many years," said Mayor Dale Copeland. "I admire and appreciate his service to the City and the citizens. He will be missed."

The lawyer

Soft spoken and famously even-tempered, Conatser spent the majority of his time representing clients as a local attorney in his private practice, which he established in 1974. Fellow lawyers Alan Gentges, who serves as Bartlesville's vice mayor and Ward 4 representative on the City Council, and City Attorney Jess Kane have been long-time admirers of Conatser's exemplary legal career.

"Judge Conatser was a fine jurist and showed a balance of wisdom and justice," said Gentges. "He was a gentleman lawyer who zealously represented his client while maintaining comity with the bar. He will be sorely missed in our city."

"I had the privilege to know Steve both personally and professionally," Kane said. "Growing up in Bartlesville he was a family friend, and, I am proud to say, he became a personal friend after I returned home to practice law. He was always the model for a senior member of the bar in his willingness to mentor young lawyers. As an opposing attorney, he was calm, knowledgeable and always willing to work towards compromise. He was a fine lawyer."

The judge

But outside his private practice, Conatser could be found nearly every Tuesday and Thursday morning at City Hall, where he presided over the day's Municipal Court proceedings. Consisting primarily of traffic violations and other misdemeanor offenses, he listened with interest and compassion to the stories of those who ended up in his Court and administered justice intended to help right the wrongs of the world — often teaching a lesson or two along the way.

"As a Judge, Steve was compassionate and fair," Kane said. "I’m certain that I did not appreciate this when the Court’s justice was administered upon me as an imprudent 16-year-old driver, but I came to appreciate it after years of observing Steve on the bench."

Kane said Conatser was ahead of his time in his leadership of the Court, implementing measures that ensured a seamless operation.

"The enforcement of fines and court costs has been a hot-button political issue in recent years. I remember reading an article recently which suggested a number of reforms, and I realized that Steve was already doing many of these things," Kane said. "Mayor Copeland has reflected that he cannot recall ever receiving a complaint about Municipal Court. If you stop to consider the adversarial nature of the Court, this is truly an amazing observation. Judge Conatser will be sorely missed."

City Manager Mike Bailey spent time in front of the judge as well, years before their working relationship and friendship began.

"Judge Conatser held the difficult position of municipal court judge for the City of Bartlesville since I was a teenager. Unfortunately for me, that’s where we first met nearly 30 years ago," said Bailey. "After coming to work for the City, I came to know Steve as a judge, as an attorney, and as a friend. I am grateful for having had the time and opportunity to do that."

By all accounts, compassion and fairness were hallmarks of Conatser's Court, and he was respected equally by those who appeared before him as those who stood beside him.

"I worked with Judge Conatser for 25 years as a police officer and 11 years as his municipal court bailiff," said retired Police Officer and Bailiff Larry Hampton. "I have known him to be a man of honor and integrity. In all those years I have never known him to lose his temper or be rude to anyone. He was the easiest-going man I've ever known. His knowledge of the law was never questioned. He treated everyone with compassion and respect, and the citizens that appeared before his court liked and respected him."

"The Bartlesville Police Department is very sorry for the loss of Judge Conatser," said Police Chief Tracy Roles. "Judge Conatser served the citizens of Bartlesville in a ultra-professional, fair and impartial manner for years. His calm demeanor and fair approach will be missed by many."

"As a Bartlesville police officer working through the Bartlesville Municipal Court, I found Judge Steve Conatser to be a fair, honest and kind man," said BPD Capt. Kevin Ickleberry. "He would listen to those who came before his court and work to help them through any problems they had. He was firm when needed and gentle and kind when needed, always being fair and giving many second chances to those who would frequent his Court. He also tried to help new teenage drivers out by making special plans with them, to help them and their parents remedy the issue without penalizing them more than needed."

The musician

Conatser's love of the law was matched, or even surpassed, possibly, by his passion for music. He played the drums throughout his life, in school and out, eventually putting in a nearly three-decade stint with local band, Distant Thunder.

Washington County musical history was made when, in 1992, Ickleberry, then a reserve police officer looking to raise some money for police equipment, heard the judge had played drums in high school and college.

"I asked him if he would be interested in joining the 'Oklahoma Posse Band,' which was a group we created to raise money to purchase camcorders for police vehicles," Ickleberry said.

It was clearly a cause Conatser could get behind. The group, which consisted of several peace officers and civilians performing together to raise funds for the camcorders, first performed publicly in October 1993, raising more than $5,000 for the needed equipment.

With success under their belt, the core group decided to continue playing music together and eventually, The Distant Thunder Band was formed — the musical outlet that helped earn Steve "Sticks" Conatser a nickname few outside his music realm would know, and where he spent the next 27 years honing his craft.

"One of his favorite places to entertain was at the Hillcrest Country Club," Ickleberry said. "During his time with the band we played venues from weddings to conventions, from Bartlesville to Oklahoma City and parts of Kansas. Inside, outside, anywhere we could, because we — and Steve, particularly — just enjoyed playing music.

"Steve loved being a drummer, and when we would practice, he would devote many hours to it. He started out with his five piece Ludwig drum set from his college days, but before long he had invested in a drum set that had so many pieces in it he had to buy a new trailer to transport 'just the drum set.' He would listen intently to music and work hard to try to make it sound like the original music. He earned the nickname of Steve 'Sticks' Conatser.

The friend

In the wake of his death, City staff who worked most closely with Conatser are quick to pay tribute to his long and successful career as the city's judge and as a private attorney, but it is his friendship they say they'll miss the most.

"He would come into my office and sit down just to talk, to ask how my day was going and catch up with me," said Municipal Court Supervisor Tammy Hudgens. "He was a very private person — he never was one to go on about himself or what was going on in his life, but he was always interested in what other people were doing and what was important to them."

For example, Hudgens recalls, he downloaded a "Countdown to Christmas" app and marked off the days with her, even though that "really wasn't his thing."

"I'm sure he couldn't have cared less about that app," Hudgens said. "He did it because he knew I liked it. That's the kind of person he was: kind, considerate, and fair. He treated everyone equally and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt."

"Steve was very patient and always a joy to be around," said Ickleberry. "He cared about those of us who were his friends and would often times call to make sure we were okay. I know that as a friend, I have lost someone who truly cared about me and one that I could call if I needed anything. Steve’s compassion, and his kind and caring heart made a great impression, not only in my life but also the citizens of Bartlesville."

"His presence will be missed in the courtroom, but I’ll miss his occasional drop-in, 'just saying hi' visits to my office most," said Bailey. "Steve was a good attorney, a great judge and an even better person, and he will be missed by all of us."

Services for Municipal Court Judge James Stephen Conatser have not yet been announced. Arrangements are under the direction of Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home in Bartlesville.

Photos used with special permission, limited to City Beat/City of Bartlesville.

Special Appointment

John Gerkin named acting municipal judge

Resumes for permanent position accepted through January 31

Retired Special Judge John M. Gerkin has been appointed to temporarily fill the position of municipal judge for the City of Bartlesville following the death of Judge James S. Conatser last month. Gerkin will act as the City's municipal court judge until a permanent replacement is found.

Gerkin has previously served as a municipal judge for the City of Glenpool and as City attorney for the City of Jenks. He most recently served as special judge in Washington County until his retirement in 2016 after 15 years of service.

"There are very few people in Bartlesville with the required qualifications, experience and expertise who could have stepped in immediately to fill this position on such short notice," said City Manager Mike Bailey. "Thankfully, retired Special Judge John Gerkin was one of those people, and he was willing to step in when called. Judge Gerkin is a very qualified member of our community who is universally respected as a judge. I’m grateful to him for his assistance during these difficult times."

Anyone interested in being considered for the position of municipal court judge is encouraged to send a resume and cover letter to City of Bartlesville, attn: City Manager's Office, 401 S. Johnstone Ave., Bartlesville, OK, 74003, or by email to rebanes@cityofbartlesville.org.

Resumes and letters of interest must be received by 5 p.m. Jan. 31 to be considered for the permanent appointment. Interviews will be scheduled in February. The final selection will made by the City Council.

The municipal judge position is one of only four positions, in addition to city manager, city attorney and city treasurer, that is appointed by and serves directly under the City Council.

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm/Unsplash

Your Questions

How to get the latest information on COVID vaccines; BPD holiday rides

By Kelli Williams

When will the virus shots become available and/or when should I apply to get on the list?

The COVID-19 vaccination program is being coordinated by the Washington County Health Department and Washington County Emergency Management Office, not the City of Bartlesville. Because the City isn't involved in administering the vaccines or coordinating the program, City staff cannot ensure that the most accurate, up to date information is being relayed as this situation has thus far been subject to frequent changes.

Therefore, the Washington County Health Department and the Washington County Emergency Management Office are the best sources of information about vaccinations. Information is available on their Facebook pages, Washington CHD and Washington County Emergency Management. The agencies can also be reached by calling WCHD at 918.335.3005 or WCEM at 918.331.2710.

BPD Arrive Alive program results

How many free rides did the police department provide on New Year's Eve?

The Bartlesville Police Department continued its annual Arrive Alive program by offering free rides home to any Bartlesville resident who may have enjoyed the holiday festivities a little too much on New Year's Eve. This year Police Chief Tracy Roles and his staff gave rides to three takers. The best news of all, however, is that the department reports no Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol arrests that night and no traffic accidents.

News & Updates

Public meeting set for COVID relief funds

Grant to provide funding for utility, rental, nutrition assistance

Public hearing set for 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave.

The City Council on Monday voted in support of an application process for the City to access grant funding through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for COVID-19 relief funding following a presentation by Assistant City Planner Nancy Warring.

"In May, the City sent a Letter of Interest to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for participation in the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Disease Relief Program, which provides grant funding for activities that address the health and economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic," Warring said.

The funds are intended to pay costs not covered by other forms of assistance and that specifically benefit persons of low and moderate income. Warring said 18 designated "Small Cities" are eligible for the first round of funding, $8,072,433.

"If divided evenly, Bartlesville’s share of this funding is expected to be approximately $448,468," Warring said.

She said as part of the formal application process, which is due Feb. 1, the City is required to adopt a Citizen Participation Plan. The plan includes a public hearing, which will be held during a special City Council meeting on Jan. 19. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on the first floor of City Hall, located at 401 S. Johnstone Ave.

The public hearing is to obtain citizen views of community development, housing and public service needs and the development of activities being proposed for CDBG-CV funding for submission of the 2020 CDBG Coronavirus Response grant. The grant’s objective is to address the health and economic challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and must specifically benefit persons of low and moderate income.

The City Council will consider both written and verbal comments pertaining to the City’s proposed application for the grant. Anyone interested in the matter is invited to attend the public hearing or submit written comments to the Community Development Director, City of Bartlesville, City Center Building, 401 S. Johnstone, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74003, by no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.

Trash routes amended for MLK Day holiday

City of Bartlesville offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, and trash routes will be amended that week due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Monday trash routes that would normally be serviced on Jan. 18 will be serviced on Wednesday, Jan. 20, that week due to the holiday. Monday customers should put their trash at the collection point no later than 6 a.m. on Jan. 20.

The City Recycle Center, located at 10th Street and Virginia Avenue, will be closed Monday as well.

Police and fire services will continue as normally scheduled, with no interruptions.

City offices will re-open and services will resume as normally scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Photo courtesy Erica Nilsson/Unsplash

City offers free Christmas tree mulching at Sooner Park

The City of Bartlesville is offering free Christmas tree mulching again this season at the upper level parking lot of Sooner Park, located near Madison and Tuxedo Boulevard.

Undecorated trees may be dropped off at the designated fenced area, just east of Madison Boulevard, anytime after Christmas. Trees will be accepted through Jan. 24.

The mulch will be available to the public. For more information, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 918.338.4154.

Protect Our Herd

POH: Podcast

Local pediatrician: '3 Ws' still best defense against COVID-19

Podcast features Dr. Gopal Chandrasekharan

Bartlesville pediatrician Dr. Gopal Chandrasekharan talked recently with local podcaster Scott Townsend of The Scott Townsend Show on steps we can all take to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Townsend serves on City's COVID-19 Public Information Campaign Advisory Committee. You can listen to this podcast in its entirety here.

Why is "Watching Your Distance" an integral part of defeating the COVID virus?

It's pretty established science now that six feet tends to be a good distance to keep because of droplets that can be spread through sneezing, speaking and talking. It's also important to know that there's been some debate regarding how airborne this virus is, and I think the scientific community is being more and more settled on, okay, this is more airborne than we expected. And by that, we mean there are two different types of droplets — one that you spray onto people right then and there, and then another type that is a little bit lighter of a particle, lighter spit particles that can stay airborne and can kind of stay hung in the air and that can also contaminate the airspace that people can be spending time in.

Are we at the finish line?

No, no, absolutely not. Scott, I want your listeners to understand that we doctors and nurses are also humans; we're just trying our best to make sure that we can also see our friends and family. We don't want to wear the masks and walk around like this. This is not something that we enjoy doing, either. We're doing this for the public health for the common good. I think vaccines have become a very good bright spot to hold on to. At least we have that now. However, as everybody knows by now, I think that's only been deployed to the healthcare personnel at this point. I think CDC came out yesterday with some guidelines on who the next people are who should get it, which will be essential workers, and also people above age of 75, I believe. But that's going to take months, and there are different countries, for example, India, I think, (that) may not even be able to vaccinate its entire population until 2024. So, I'm not saying that we have to stay depressed that long, but certainly we're not at the endpoint at all. And before we can get to that bright spot, these next three months are going to be excruciating. It will be a pretty crucial part of the pandemic.

So it's really important that we all pull together on this. It may be a big, long push.

Absolutely. I think this winter is going to be very poignant.

What's the thing that you're most concerned with now?

Pandemic fatigue. That goes without saying, I think — all of us doctors included. I'm sure Dr. (Anthony) Fauci is also pretty fatigued. Everybody's tired of this, for sure. I think it's only human that we feel that way. But we are human; what I mean is that we're different from animals as far as we can watch out for each other and use thought and intellect and empathy that we've been given by God or nature, whatever you believe in, to pull together and to do this. And I think people are getting tired of the whole, 'Wear Your Masks, Wash Your Hands, and Watch Your Distance.' But it just becomes even more important. The healthcare sector has repeatedly (advised people) to not have Christmas holiday parties and Christmas gatherings. And it's tough. It's very hard. It's been one of those more excruciating pieces of advice that I've had to give in my career so far. But that is my job. And that is our job, to make sure that you guys get the best advice and best guidance from us.

As tough as it is, if we all pulled together and really made a hard push here, we could really see the end of this sooner than later. But if we keep fooling around with it and some are doing these things while some aren't, this could go on for along time.

Absolutely. It's going to go on for a long time. And, again to that point, yeah, we have the vaccine, but we also now have a new strain of a mutated coronavirus that has come out of Britain. Different countries are struggling to try to contain it so it doesn't (spread) to the entire world. The point is that we can get the vaccines but until that vaccine has been safely distributed to everybody, to the entire populace, (spread of the virus will continue.) Scientists have said so far what they've been able to establish is that this is no more lethal than the current virus we all know about. But it is more contagious. So, essentially, it's going to spread faster. The main things that we know we can do now for sure is Wash Your Hands, Watch Your Distance and Wear Your Mask, and no matter how content or how mutated the viruses are, how bad it gets, if you just stick with the basics, it should work.

Dr. Gopal Chandrasekharan has been a board-certified pediatrician in Bartlesville since 2015.

POH: Social Media

Watch Your Distance, Wear a Mask, Wash Your Hands

Are you doing your part to Protect Our Herd? Make a video and tag us! For more information, see the City's Protect Our Herd website page at https://www.cityofbartlesville.org/covid-19-protect-our-herd/

Bob Frasier

Frank Phillips Foundation

Rhonda Hudson

Ray of Hope Advocacy Center

More information

For information on COVID-19 in Oklahoma including infections, deaths, testing and prevention measures, see https://oklahoma.gov/covid19.html.