Trenton Mayor Tim Whitaker has announced he does not plan to run for another term and will be giving up the post he has held the past eight years.
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Trenton Mayor Tim Whitaker has announced he does not plan to run for another term and will be giving up the post he has held the past eight years.
In what the mayor has been telling some individuals privately for some time, Whitaker said today that he is stepping down as the city?s governmental leader to devote more time to his family and business.
?I have enjoyed my time as mayor and I feel we have accomplished a lot during my time on the city council,? Whitaker said. ?I feel that the time is right to hand over the reigns to someone with some new ideas and vision for the future of Trenton.?
Whitaker and his wife, Patty, own three hotels in Missouri and want to spend more time involved in that endeavor as well as being able to visit their two daughters, Beth and Amy, who now live away from Trenton.
?We have two daughters that live out of town and we wish to be free to go and see them more often,? he said.
Whitaker said he is also involved in a venture in which he is serving as a consultant in the construction of a hotel in Manhattan, KS. ?
That?s going to keep us busy as well,? he said.
Whitaker has held the mayor?s position since 1995 and was a member of the council two year?s prior. At the time he took office as mayor, he was the youngest person to be elected to that job.
?We?ve been able to do a lot of good things while I?ve been mayor, so I feel that I can leave the office and know the city is in good shape,? he said. ?There are a lot of things we?ve done in the past eight years that had been left undone many years previously and I feel that the efforts we have put in to making our infrastructure better, improving our business base and providing better services have made Trenton a better place to live and a place that people will want to come and make their home.?
Among some of the accomplishments of which he is most proud is the city?s establishment of a Tax Increment Financing District, which allowed for the construction of a building to house both the Piggly Wiggly and Pamida as well as moving the former Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance facility to a better location just outside the city limits.
He also cites such projects as approval of a one-half cent sales tax for capital improvements, improvements to the city?s sewer, stormwater and water systems, implementation of a property maintenance program and the hiring of an economic developer, which he said has helped get a lot of things done for the betterment of the community.
And while the intended purpose when purchasing property north of the city limits didn?t pan out, Whitaker said that the land will make a fine industrial park for the city to attract new businesses and create jobs for the community.
?Our current Industrial Park is nearly full and having this property available will be key in the growth of Trenton in the future,? he said.
Whitaker said that while he will be leaving city government as mayor, he would make himself available to assist in projects, if asked.
?I have a love of this community and want to see things done that are in its best interest,? he said. ?If there is anything that I can do to help in that area, I will if possible.?
The mayor said he plans to back candidate Gary Hurst in his bid to succeed Whitaker in that post, adding that he believes Hurst brings the kind of experience that is required to make a good mayor.
Hurst, who currently serves as a council member, and Gary R. Hall have both filed for the position, which will be filled during an election on April 8.