There

weren't many dry eyes in the house Monday night

as outgoing Mayor Mike Wheat stepped down from

his post and handed his gavel over to incoming

Mayor Kenneth Steele.

new nameplate with Steele's name on it occupied

the space in front of the mayor's chair during

the meeting, but a doting staffer slipped a

temporary plate over the new one, with the penned

designation: "Mayor Mike Wheaty-pie."

As

outgoing mayor, Wheat presided over "old

business" on the council agenda, then turned

the gavel over to Steele following swearing in

ceremonies for Steele, newly elected Councilman

Bill Talley and newly reelected Councilman Glenn

Brewer.

City

staff members and residents at Monday's City

Council meeting saluted Wheat with a standing

ovation, and he also received a plaque honoring

him for his service, and gifts of tee shirts and

a rocking chair.

"You

have always kept Fayette County at the forefront

of everything you do," Councilman Larry Dell

told Wheat as he presented a plaque from the

Association Fayette County Governments thanking

Wheat for his work on behalf of cooperation

between local governments.

Wheat,

who has occupied the council chambers for a

combined 11 years as both councilman and mayor,

announced last summer that he would not seek

reelection in the city's municipal election this

past November. Citing business opportunities and

a long-standing belief in term limits, he said he

may run for some other office in the future.

"I

enjoy politics now," Wheat said in a recent

interview with The Citizen, "but I don't

ever want to be a professional politician. I

don't think it was ever something that the

founding fathers intended."

He

got involved in the first place the same way many

people in local government do. "Most people

are happy living their everyday lives and relying

on the local government to do a good job,"

he said. "They get involved when something

specific is going on that affects their

property."

Wheat

represented his neighborhood when property nearby

was being rezoned. "That got completely out

of hand and I ended up running for City

Council," he chuckled.

The

Indiana native said he will look back on his nine

years as mayor and two on City Council with

satisfaction. "We have made great

strides," he said.

During

his term in office, the city government has moved

into a new City Hall, making use of a historic

school building - Fayette's first school

building - in the process, and has built

state-of-the-art water and sewer plants.

But

Wheat said he is more proud of constant

improvements in the professionalism of staff

through training programs, selective hiring and

the maturing of longtime staff members.

Wheat

also is given much of the credit for the city's

aggressive Main Street Fayetteville program,

which seeks to revitalize downtown and preserve

its historic character.

Wheat's

advice for the new mayor is simple. "The

best thing the new mayor can do is partner with

the council and work as a team with the

council," he said.

"We've

been able to do it as a group for the last ten

years," he added. "It doesn't mean we

always agree, but it means we always have the

best for the city in mind. We agree to disagree,

but it doesn't become personal."

As

he steps down from the mayor's chair, Wheat is

leaving the door open for future political

activity, though he says he has nothing in

particular in mind.

"Now

that I really understand how local government

works, I may get involved again in

politics," he said. "We'll see."

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