Dr. Randy McCaulley wound up 10.5 years of service on the Perry City Council Monday night by providing cupcakes to the community and regaling the council meeting with humorous stories.
Perry Mayor John Andorf presented McCaulley with an honorary plaque on behalf of the city of Perry in gratitude for his volunteer service, noting that the city council “is not always an easy position but an important one.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege” to serve on the council, McCaulley said. He said the city has accomplished “some amazing things” in his time as a council member.
Among the amazements he noted were the successful launch of the property tax abatement scheme, the refurbishment of the McCreary Community Building, the upgrades to the Perry Pollution Control Facility and the improvements to the Perry Municipal Airport, including the new runway.
“I’m proud to have had a chance to represent Perry,” said McCaulley, whose three terms on the Perry City Council were preceded by his service as the superintendent of the Perry Community School District from 2001 to 2009.
He said he has attended many city meetings since he was first appointed July 1, 2011, but the most memorable was when the babysitter did not arrive, and he brought his three young grandsons to the council meeting with him. He said the elder boys were very well behaved but the younger, whom he kept in his lap during the proceedings, brought the meeting to a speedy close when he soiled his diaper.
Council member Chuck Schott, who length of tenure on the council equals McCaulley’s, spoke warmly about his fellow member.
“He’s my neighbor, and he’s my friend,” Schott said. “Randy’s very open minded and the nicest man you’ll ever meet.”
In other business, Peterson said a new community and economic development director has been hired for the position left vacant by the retirement of Mike Fastenau. Peterson said that Daniel Van Holland, most recently the assistant city planner for the city of Spearfish, S.D., will take up his Perry post in January.
The council also approved the second reading of the amended fireworks ordinance, which will prohibit the use of consumer fireworks within the corporate limits of Perry. The vote was four to one, with Schott opposing.
