Hedges ending long tenure on city panel

Friday, April 15, 2011
Mayor Dick Hedges will call the City Commission to order for the last time at next Tuesday's meeting. A reception is planned for him that evening.(Tribune File Photo)

Tuesday will mark the end of an era as Fort Scott Mayor Dick Hedges calls the City Commission meeting to order for the last time.

Hedges has served on the commission for 14 years and chose not to seek office again in the April 5 contest. He began his tenure on the commission after being appointed to fill the last three years of Ernie Lee's term when he moved away.

"I've been there ever since for 14 years," he said.

While on the commission, Hedges has worked with three city managers -- Richard Nienstedt, Joe Turner and current city manager Dave Martin. He has served as mayor three separate times and helped guide the city through some major issues.

"I've enjoyed it and I've worked with a lot of different people in different situations," he said.

Some of the difficult times Hedges has served through include the fire in downtown Fort Scott in 2005 and the grand jury investigation sparked by the Citizens Advisory Committee in 2007. Hedges said the grand jury investigation was not a joyful experience and he thought it was getting way from the community working together.

"That was no fun because ... if you're not careful you get into a lot of them and us when it should be we at the end of the day," he said.

With the bad came the good and Hedges has seen plenty of good things in Fort Scott in his more decade-plus of service on the panel. Some of the highlights he recalls are the community effort to save the golf course and the citizen-driven initiative to rebuild the city pool.

"I'm optimistic about what I see happening now and the people of Fort Scott have been good to step up and take care of what we needed to have done," he said.

In addition, Hedges said he has enjoyed seeing the community hang together through difficult times with major employers, such as Western Insurance, leaving the town and the destruction of floods and the 2005 fire.

"We've overcome some fires and a couple of floods. People have rebuilt ... We are still here," he said.

One of the most important lessons Hedges learned while on the commission is that not everybody is going agree with the commission's decisions and that he is only one vote. When he took office for the first time, he had thoughts of changing everything but was quickly reminded that he is just one vote.

Hedges said keys to his being an effective commissioner have been his ability to listen with both ears and treat people with respect. He said the city commission is one of the purest forms of government.

"It is probably as close to real politics as you'll ever find in terms of the rubber meeting the road," Hedges said.

With his time coming to an end, Hedges recalled a conversation he had with former Fort Scott Mayor Ken Lunt about the work it takes to be an effective commissioner. He said he hopes he's made a positive impact on Fort Scott.

"I hope that when I leave it's going to be better than when I found it," Hedges said.

During his newfound free time, Hedges said he plans to play a larger part in the lives of his grandchildren as they grow up. He will also be sorting through the things he has collected in his house for the last 31 years as he prepares to move into a different residence. According to Hedges, cleaning the attic was not his original plan.

"We used to joke that we were going to leave all that stuff in the attic for the kids to sort out when we were gone, but things change," he said.

A reception will be held for Hedges from 5-6 p.m. Tuesday at the City Hall Commission Meeting Room, located at 123 S. Main St. The public is invited to attend.