Published: July 02, 2009 09:04 pm      

Former Nason mayor looks back on 20 years of service

By VANESSA WELCH

vanessa.welch@register-news.com

NASON — In more than 20 years of service to the city of Nason, former mayor and alderman Jack Dent has witnessed many changes including the installation of a water distribution center, trash removal services and development of a subdivision.

Earlier this year, Dent decided not to run for re-election, and while looking back, one notices how his contributions have helped to make the second city in Jefferson County a better place to live for its residents and future generations.

“When I first went in, we had meetings in every different house,” Dent said regarding his first term, which began in 1974. “We didn’t have no certain place to have a meeting. Then we went and bought ground and we put our own building up.”

The Nason city council still holds meetings at the same building, located on Ninth Street, where many discussions took place during Dent’s first term about procedures involved with going from usage of well water to an organized water system.

“When you get right down to it, this woman wanted to start a beauty shop and she wanted water,” Dent said. “Before that, everybody had their own water. You had to get your water ahead of time for washing and cooking.”

After many volunteer hours were spent researching project details, the city received a loan from the Federal Housing Administration and water was purchased from Waltonville, with the partnership between the city and village still in place today.

“There were quite a few people involved,” Dent said. “At the time, we were running the restaurant [Margie’s Cafe] down there. Everybody came there to put their money down to get a meter.”

Although some residents continued to use well water, with some never installing a meter, Dent’s daughter, Ginger Droste, recalled immediate benefits such as not having to use outhouses and ease of taking baths or showers.

During his time in office, Dent also helped to establish a citywide cleanup day, updated guidelines to correspond with other cities and villages and performed duties that a liquor commissioner or police department normally undertake.

“In Mt. Vernon they call 911; in Nason they call the mayor,” Droste said. “You have to make arrangements and contact the aldermen and their wards, or you just go take care of it yourself.”

While serving as mayor from 2001 to 2009, Dent’s wife, Margie, and his daughter assisted him with taking care of the elderly, protecting residents from a disease found in local deer, cleaning up oil spills and providing food and an air-conditioned building after a tornado occurred a couple years ago. The family also operated Margie’s Cafe and Dent’s Pickery, where ducks and geese were cleaned for hunters.

“When you get right down to it, nobody wants to do it,” Dent said. “It’s good experience though. You get to meet a lot of people.”

From his first term to his last years as mayor, Dent said the salary has increased from $1 to $40 per meeting, but the “volunteer work” is what he has enjoyed most.

“Every three years now we have money to fix our roads and we have qualified for grants,” Droste said. “We received a water grant last year, so we’ve come a long way.

“One positive thing is that everybody tries to pitch in and clean up their yards a little more and pick up trash. We also use community service workers and we utilize and work with the judicial system.”

Although Nason is no longer the same as when Dent grew up in Buzzard Roost, a subdivision of the city, when the coal mine was prosperous, Dent said he enjoys the serenity and looks forward to spending time with family and fishing during his retirement.

“It’s peaceful,” Dent said. “When you get right down to it, this is where they retire at. We all lived right here for right at 50 years. Down here, if you hear sirens, everybody goes and looks because you just don’t here them.”

Dent noted although many people have referred to him as mayor, “I’d just as soon have them call me Jack.”