2 commissioners announce retirement

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Two of the county’s three commissioners have officially announced pending retirements at the end of their terms in December 2012 after decades of public service.

Gary Adams, the senior commissioner with nearly 28 years of service in that position, said it is time to step down while he still has his health.

“I don’t want to stay in here until my health’s gone,” Adams noted, adding that he has enjoyed his tenure over seven terms in office.

Adams, who was first elected as a commissioner in 1983 and took office in 1984, serving alongside veterans Burton Hoblet and Vaughn Morgan, likened his first term to that of current first-term Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger.

“I was kind of like Thad is now,” Adams said. “I was a young kid on the block — I was in my 40s — and those guys seemed like they were old, and now Thad is serving with elderly gentlemen.”

Adams said serving with Lichtensteiger is also somewhat ironic, since one of Adams’ best friends over the years has been the younger commissioner’s father, Dean.

Adams cited a number of accomplishments over his nearly three decades long tenure as a commissioner, including purchase of the former Traditions restaurant in a sheriff’s sale and transformation of the building into what is now the Van Wert County Correctional Facility. He also spent nearly 10 years as a Jackson Township trustee.

He added that there were times when people didn’t agree with his actions as commissioner, but noted that he was used to that from his three decades as a basketball referee.

“People didn’t always agree with me there, either,” he said with a grin.

Dudgeon, who has spent the past 41 years in public service of one type or another, including 15 years on the Van Wert County Fair Board, 17 years on what was then the Van Wert County Board of Education, and four years on the Vantage Board of Election, in addition to his 11-year tenure as a commissioner, said he has enjoyed his public service, but feels it’s time to move on.

Dudgeon, 74, has had some health issues over the past few years, and said that was one consideration in his decision to retire.

“I didn’t think it was really fair to the constituents if I was not in good health by the end of another term,” Dudgeon said, noting that while he is in fairly good health at this point, that doesn’t mean the situation would continue if he was elected to another four-year term.

He noted that one of his first duties as a commissioner was to work with County Probate-Juvenile Judge Rex Fortney — who also announced his plan to retire at the end of this year — in connection with a dispute over problems with the judge’s former courtroom in the basement of the Courthouse. That dispute was resolved when the county renovated the former People’s Bank & Trust building into court and other county offices a decade ago.

Perhaps the biggest project for both men has been the wind farms now covering portions of the county, with more planned in the future.

“The most exciting thing for me was the windmills,” Adams said. “We didn’t have to give no tax abatement (and) House Bill 232 allowed us to get it off the ground.”

Dudgeon also said the wind turbine project was a good one for the county, generating new revenues, starting in 2013, for ailing county coffers emptied by the recession and state funding cuts.

Both men also said they had enjoyed working with each other — something they first did as members of the fair board — and other county officials, while also commending their staff, Commissioners’ Clerk Larry Clouse and administrative assistant Pam Henderson, for their excellent work over the years.

They also cited the importance of County Auditor Nancy Dixon’s contributions to the county’s financial well-being, and said they felt lucky to have such a good working relationship with Dixon.

“That’s not the case in many counties, where the commissioners and auditor don’t get along,” Adams said.

Both men said they plan to relax a bit when they retire, although both said they prefer to keep busy, rather than just lounge around.

“I find it comforting to be busy,” Dudgeon said.

Adams also noted he planned to continue singing in the foreseeable future, continuing his decades-long association with the Gospel group, Trinity.

Meanwhile, the two retirements will mean others will now have to make a decision on whether to file petitions for the open commissioners’ positions.