I was fortunate to be elected four times as Mayor of Birchwood Village. Before being Mayor, I was on the city council for six years. And, before that I was on the Village Planning Commission.
As the mayor of a small town (population 950 or so), with a part-time staff, one is required to wear a lot of hats. I was dog catcher and pot-hole filler, to the other end of the spectrum - writing the Village ten year comprehensive plan, negotiating with other towns to share services (and money) and working with our Village lawyer.
I know almost everyone in town. And, those that I do not know, know who I am because our meetings were broadcast on local TV (and I was astonished how many people watched the meetings - they seem so boring).
While Mayor, I set the village on a proactive path. For example, we established a long-term plan of capturing polluting run-off before it went into the lake; eradicating buckthorn; keeping our parks safe and fun for children as well as teenagers. I also worked on the non-glamorous parts of the Village - keeping the sewage flowing in the right direction with the installation or re-installation of sewer lines and pump stations and re-surfacing the streets. These latter projects may seem trivial, but they may cost more than the entire budget of our Village.
Our budget was about $350,000 per year. This budget covered our part-time personnel, police and fire (a huge chunk), capital projects and more.
I chose to not run again for Mayor in 2008, then rejoined the Council in 2012.
I currently served as Vice-Mayor for eight years (2012-2020)