By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

There weren't many dry eyes in the house Monday night as outgoing Mayor Mike Wheat stepped down from his post and handed his gavel over to incoming Mayor Kenneth Steele.

A new nameplate with Steele's name on it occupied the space in front of the mayor's chair during the meeting, but a doting staffer slipped a temporary plate over the new one, with the penned designation: “Mayor Mike Wheaty-pie.”

As outgoing mayor, Wheat presided over “old business” on the council agenda, then turned the gavel over to Steele following swearing in ceremonies for Steele, newly elected Councilman Bill Talley and newly reelected Councilman Glenn Brewer.

City staff members and residents at Monday's City Council meeting saluted Wheat with a standing ovation, and he also received a plaque honoring him for his service, and gifts of tee shirts and a rocking chair.

“You have always kept Fayette County at the forefront of everything you do,” Councilman Larry Dell told Wheat as he presented a plaque from the Association Fayette County Governments thanking Wheat for his work on behalf of cooperation between local governments.

Wheat, who has occupied the council chambers for a combined 11 years as both councilman and mayor, announced last summer that he would not seek reelection in the city's municipal election this past November. Citing business opportunities and a long-standing belief in term limits, he said he may run for some other office in the future.

“I enjoy politics now,” Wheat said in a recent interview with The Citizen, “but I don't ever want to be a professional politician. I don't think it was ever something that the founding fathers intended.”

He got involved in the first place the same way many people in local government do. “Most people are happy living their everyday lives and relying on the local government to do a good job,” he said. “They get involved when something specific is going on that affects their property.”

Wheat represented his neighborhood when property nearby was being rezoned. “That got completely out of hand and I ended up running for City Council,” he chuckled.

The Indiana native said he will look back on his nine years as mayor and two on City Council with satisfaction. “We have made great strides,” he said.

During his term in office, the city government has moved into a new City Hall, making use of a historic school building — Fayette's first school building — in the process, and has built state-of-the-art water and sewer plants.

But Wheat said he is more proud of constant improvements in the professionalism of staff through training programs, selective hiring and the maturing of longtime staff members.

Wheat also is given much of the credit for the city's aggressive Main Street Fayetteville program, which seeks to revitalize downtown and preserve its historic character.

Wheat's advice for the new mayor is simple. “The best thing the new mayor can do is partner with the council and work as a team with the council,” he said.

“We've been able to do it as a group for the last ten years,” he added. “It doesn't mean we always agree, but it means we always have the best for the city in mind. We agree to disagree, but it doesn't become personal.”

As he steps down from the mayor's chair, Wheat is leaving the door open for future political activity, though he says he has nothing in particular in mind.

“Now that I really understand how local government works, I may get involved again in politics,” he said. “We'll see.”