The Mayor’s Farewell

Two years ago, an unprecedented number of Double Oak neighbors elected me to serve

as Mayor of our town. It has been my honor and a privilege to do so.

My commitment to you as Mayor was

to keep you safe

to keep us ‘small-town-friendly’

to maintain the vestiges of our rural roots

to support and encourage the independent, working-together spirit that continues

to distinguish our town 35 years after its inception (to keep the ‘You’ in Double

Oak)

and, to leverage our tax dollars by maintaining strong, vibrant working

relationships among our own town staff and with the towns, cities and County

beyond our borders

Today, I am pleased to say we are as safe or safer than we have ever been. Thanks in

large part to the single-minded, professional focus of our former Chief of Police, Jason

Jones, the Double Oak Police Department has assertively enforced the town speed limit,

become better equipped, for our sake and theirs, and proactively and substantially

brought our PD into the 21st Century.

Today, I am pleased to say, ‘small town friendly’ starts right here, at Town Hall. Town

Secretary, Charlotte Allen, Assistant Town Secretary Eileen Kennedy and Court Clerk

Georgia Bray are always ‘on deck,’ working cheerfully, professionally and with an

unparalleled commitment to our needs.

Code Enforcement Officer and Building Inspector, Charlie Wright, continues to juggle

multiple duties and myriad of issues, with good nature and charm, balancing our

predisposition for independence and a rural nature with our desire for safety and

standards.

Among the ‘stars’ of having fun and working hard is the Double Oak Women’s Club. For

it is they who provide neighborliness from the time a new neighbor is welcomed to town

to their monthly meetings and annual fund-raisers. They are literally on-call for us, with

‘Get Well’ cards, casseroles, scholarships and just plain fun activities for our children.

The consistently strong and respected leadership of our Volunteer Fire Department is

another example of the can-do spirit of Double Oak. Unpaid, unelected and

underappreciated, they do more good with less bureaucracy than all of us politicos!

More fun, less bureaucracy….in the past two years, we have brought more new faces to

Boards and Commissions, Reserve officer resources, Committees and volunteer

opportunities than ever. I want to thank each of you for stepping forward to be a vital

part of Double Oak’s day-to-day needs and its future.

In addition, we have celebrated Patriot Day, Halloween Spook-taculars, the Annual

Christmas Tree Lighting and our Annual Children’s Christmas Movie Day. We have

hosted local dignitaries for County meetings, Mayors’ Round Table Discussions and

Police Chiefs’ meetings.

Finally, and without question, Double Oak continues to be sound financially, thanks to

the conservative strategies of Council, Staff, retiring Treasurers Lissa McCarthy and

Jerry Lamel and the generous consideration and support given us by Mayors Sue Tjeml,

Jody Smith, Diane Costa and friend and County Commissioner, Andy Eads.

This has been a productive and encouraging two years. Yet clearer than ever is the fact

that the truest and purest leadership in Double Oak and our Country comes not from

elected officials but from the independent, hard-working, can-do spirit in each of us. Our

deepest hope for leadership into a safe, sound and compassionate future lies in you.

Now, it is my distinct pleasure to turn the meeting over to the swearing-in of your Mayor-

elect, Mr. Mike Donnelly.

Thank you.