FAREWELL TO A FORMER MAYOR

   Written by Luz Leigh – August 2007

      This afternoon one of my sons called to tell me that a member of our community had died. A few years ago the man had served as mayor of our little city for about five years. I have to admit for me, those were among the most turbulent years during the time I was employed by the City. The man, whom I shall refer to as Mr. Gordon, had served on the City Council for about fifteen years during two different terms prior to his decision to seek the position of mayor. During those years there had been times when the two of us had not seen eye to eye on several different issues. Therefore, when he was elected mayor, it was with dread that I welcomed him as my new boss.

      The first day Mr. Gordon appeared in City Hall to begin his official capacity at the helm of the city government, I sensed this was going to be a bumpy ride. The City is small, was even smaller then having only 3 full time employees. When I retired some fourteen years later, we had a total of five full time employees. Wow! Growth abounds. All the employees were adults, very conscientious about our work habits. We arrived on time, worked at our assigned tasks and left at quitting time in the afternoon, unless there was a task that needed our attention. If that were the case, we worked until it was finished. But, our new mayor decided we needed to have a time clock installed so we would have to clock in and out each day. I voiced my objection to this because I took it as a slap in the face to us employees. That was not the only time he and I locked horns over things. 

      These confrontations were beginning to have an adverse affect on me, not just at work, but in my personal life as well. Thus in his wisdom, my dear husband who had been in the political area for many years, helped me see that I was not going to win the war. Maybe a battle or two perhaps, but the mayor was my boss, elected by the populace, and it would be he who would survive these conflicts. So, against my will, I backed down and let things slide. If it was more than I could bear, or something the mayor wished to put in place was not exactly legal, I would go to the council. The council has the power to override the mayor’s actions, if they so choose.

      Things got a little better; he and I learned to tolerate each other. The time clock issue became moot when I helped him see that just because we clocked in at 8:00 a.m. and out at 4:30 p.m. did not mean we would be working those hours. We employees would still be on the honor system; thus the time clock was relegated to the trash bin. There were other issues over which we clashed, but most were resolved without too many hurt feelings.

      I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when he announced that he would not be seeking another term, after having guided the City for five years. But then I realized the light I saw coming was not the end of the tunnel, but a big freight train. My next boss was to be a woman. I had never worked for a woman before and was not relishing the idea because this lady knew almost nothing about municipal business. True, she had worked in the private sector for a number of years, but municipal laws are a whole new ball game. Things one can do in the private sector are not always allowed when setting or carrying out policy in city government. Because she had been hand picked by the mayor to fill his spot, I was not a real happy camper. Thank goodness, she realized after only one term of office, that was not her cup of tea.

      So today when I received word of the former mayor’s death, I was saddened for his wife and family. He did what he thought was the right thing and one cannot fault someone for trying to make a difference. In the private sector, he did well and contributed to our fair city.