In 1974, Gerald Ford was President, all-purpose orange jump suits were in style, “The Godfather, Part II” was an Oscar-winning movie and David Madison was elected Mayor of Bexley.
This January will be unlike any January since then: Madison will not be returning to his position at City Hall. Madison began his political career serving as a City Council member for eight years, and then he was elected mayor of the city.
Barbara Drugan, a retired Cassingham Elementary School teacher and Bexley area resident, is sad to see the mayor leave, but she thinks the time is right.
“I think it’s time for the mayor to retire,” Drugan said. “It’s time for new, younger and more modern ideas. Bexley needs change in every direction. Mayor Madison is a landmark, though, and we’ll all miss him, but we won’t have to miss him too much because he’ll always be around.”
Drugan also has very fond memories of Mayor Madison. She remembers teaching his children in her kindergarten class.
“He’s a very personable man who knows everyone,” Drugan said. “He is not just everyone’s mayor but their friend. He’s a very loyal person. We’ll really miss him.” F
ormer Bexley City Council President Anne Porter agrees with Drugan that the city will miss the mayor.
“Mayor Madison was really great to work with,” Porter said. “He really cared about what City Council did and the overall business of Bexley. He was always there and came to every City Council meeting. He was a great role model for city leaders.”
Porter said that she also remembers a few years ago when her son was very upset about a local candy store closing, and he wrote a letter to the mayor expressing his concerns.
“The mayor was really great about it,” Porter said. “He sent back a letter on his personal stationery saying that he understood my son’s feelings of disappointment, but that he had no power to keep the store open.”
Porter hopes that in the future, Madison will remain involved in his signature activities, such as his cookouts.
She also said she completely understands his decision to retire and his desire to spend more time with his family.
“We all greatly appreciate David’s contributions to this city for all these years,” Porter said. “He will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.”
Mayor Madison said that he is looking forward to retiring. He plans to remain in Bexley, but he is ready to spend more quality time with his family and travel.
“The job is not easy,” Madison said. “You have many responsibilities as CEO of the city, director of public services and chief law enforcement officer.”
Mayor Madison also reflected on his first week in office as hectic, but at the same time, very enjoyable.
“I thought originally I’d just be mayor for four years,” Madison said. “I ended up finding the job very rewarding and I ended up enjoying just about every part of it.”
He also said that he thought the recent election process worked out very well.
“John Brennan has a big job ahead of him,” Madison said. “He will be responsible for everything in the city, but he loves this city, and I am confident that he will do a good job.”
He said his advice for the future mayor is to be patient, plan to spend a lot of time at city hall and have his office open to residents at all times.
“The new mayor must realize that the residents pay his salary and that he works for the residents,” Madison said.
Sophomore Nathaniel Pelz said that he will also miss the mayor’s leadership in the city. Pelz said that although he did not know the mayor personally, he has heard many great things about him.
“I think his retirement will deeply impact the community,” Pelz said. “He helped make Bexley a special place to live, and no one will ever forget that.”
Megan Leite contributed reporting to this story.
