One of the first people I met when I came to Hartselle was Dwight Tankersley.

It was my first day on the job here, a Monday morning in late January last year just after the big snowstorm dumped at least eight inches of snow.

From the first time I met Dwight, I could tell that he was passionate about Hartselle.

After spending more time with Dwight and getting to know him better, I could tell that no matter what he did, he always did what he thought was best for Hartselle. As is always the case, not everyone may agree with that, but that’s the way it is with any type of public office.

Here’s a good example of this. When it became apparent that the city pool was in need of major repairs last year, Dwight went to work to look at the options the city might have.

In particular, one of the councilmen asked the mayor to look at ways to make the pool more profitable. After hours and hours of research, the only option he could come up with was the lifestyle center.

The presentation was great and even had a detailed explanation of how the city could even pay for the bond issue payments.

The only problem for several of the city councilmen was the price tag. And yes, and more than $10 million may a little too much for the city to afford at this time.

However, there was a lot of good that came out of this discussion. City leaders had already started asking the questions about what they wanted in a new city pool, and the outdoor pool that was proposed in the lifestyle center is what we have today in the new Hartselle Aquatic Center.

As the old biblical proverb goes, where there is no vision, the people perish. Dwight has definitely had a vision for the city. In his State of the City addresses, he talked about not what Hartselle is but what it should be.

That leaves some big shoes for new Mayor Don Hall, but I believe he will do an excellent job. And I believe that Dwight has helped give Don a good start on being mayor here because the city is in such good shape.

Thank you Dwight for your eight years of service. We hope you and Jenny will have continued success.

And Don, we hope the next four years, or more, will be just as good.

Brent Maze is the managing editor of the Hartselle Enquirer.