Brighton bids farewell to three veteran city councilmen

Three veteran Brighton City Council members, with a combined experience of 52 years, attended their last official city council meeting Tuesday before retiring.

Councilmen Melvin Rich, Jim Miller and Fairfield native Rob Pettit retired from the council after the meeting. None had run for re-election during the November election. A small celebration was held for them in the community room of Brighton City Hall where homemade pie and ice cream were served.

During the meeting, incoming council members Bill Farmer and Ron Rich were sworn into their new council positions. Both ran unopposed. Scott Hughes, who also was elected, wasn?t present at the meeting.

?It?s been good ? I?ve enjoyed it,? Miller, a 36-year veteran of the board, said.

He said his practice of leaving for three months during the winter is what made him decide not to run for office again. He said he decided after 36 years, it is time to ?turn it over and let someone else do it.?

Miller remembers simply asking to serve on the council when he first decided to serve. He said several people were leaving the board at the time. He remembers the council was trying to build what is today the Brighton City Hall and Community Center. He said the council had started the project by pouring cement for the foundation with the intent to build the rest a few years later. He said after the project was started, several grants came in to help finish it. Miller said the former city hall was located across the street in what is now the water department.

?There used to be fire meetings over there, and we would sit on five-gallon buckets,? Miller said. ?Not everyone had a five-gallon bucket, so some of us stood.?

Miller said he is proud of many projects the city has done while he was a councilman, including the water tower, water mains and the latest sewer project. He also said there had been a lot of street work. He said one thing he had hoped to do was start a pet cemetery.

Pettit said Miller had initially persuaded him to join the council. He said he is retiring is because he feels he has too many other obligations. Miller said Pettit should have stayed on the council. Pettit leaves the council after serving four years.

?The water project was a big deal,? Pettit said of his time on the council. ?The sewer project is big and replacing two veterans ? both the superintendent and Linda [Burger, city clerk]. We got two very competent and capable people, and that?s a big deal for the future of the town.?

He hopes Brighton will continue to progress in the future.

Melvin Rich said he had originally joined the board as an appointee. He had been asked to finish a term for a council member who left mid-term.

?I had never done much for the city, and I had lived here all my life, so I kind of stuck with it for a while,? Rich said.

He said at one point he had resigned from the council, but was asked back to fill in the role of mayor. He later decided to run for re-election, saying it was a way to repay the city of Brighton.

Rich said he is proud of the projects that were accomplished while he was on the council, as well as the town being financially solid.

?I?d like to see young kids move to town and stay here,? he said. ?I think that is what would make the town grow and prosper.?