EVANS COLUMN: The next mayor of LaGrange will have big shoes to fill
Posted 6:07 p.m. on Friday, October 7, 2022
II’m not sure he remembers, but I certainly still remember the first time I spoke with LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton, who announced earlier this week that he was stepping down as mayor. .
Our first conversation was over five years ago, in May 2017, with me during my first week at a brand new job after moving from Selma, Alabama. I couldn’t have told you where LaFayette Parkway or Walmart was. Or anything else in LaGrange.
But life was beautiful. I was buying a house, I was weeks away from becoming a father for the first time, it was a time I will never forget. My first week in my role as editor went well until I was notified of a lawsuit filed against the town of LaGrange.
Of course, as always happens with news, the story broke on a Friday afternoon, so I was frantic, trying to make sure we got a story in the weekend paper.
Calling Thornton was already on my to-do list, as I wanted to sit down with him and talk about LaGrange and hear his thoughts on the newspaper. Now, as someone he had never met, I had to call him about this trial. And it was a Friday afternoon.
I remember thinking, “I never get this guy on the phone. Boy, I was wrong. And I never thought that way again. Thornton always returned our calls, usually within minutes, no matter what we had to discuss. I can’t thank him enough for that.
I don’t remember much of the conversation, but Thornton and I spoke for about 20 minutes, and he was extremely welcoming. Towards the end of the call, I finally asked about the lawsuit, telling him that I was just doing my job and intended to talk to him before I heard of this development. As he always was, Jim was undeterred, spoke with confidence, gave me information, and referred me to the city attorney.
The following week, we met in person. I was anxious to hear what he had to say about the diary, and while I wouldn’t put words in his mouth, Thornton surely had his own thoughts about me. There I was, 27, giving him the same speech I was sure he had heard from countless other newspaper chiefs over the years. They all came and went for one reason or another. He must have wondered how long it would be before someone else gave him the same speech, but he didn’t show it.
When asked what he thought of the newspaper, he replied that he read it regularly. I think he was flattering me, but I hope he looks back now and thinks we covered the city fairly and thoroughly during his time as mayor.
Either way, it’s Thornton’s leadership and calming presence that this town will miss most when his term as mayor ends Nov. 23. Rarely, if ever, shaken, Thornton has always been transparent about the city and has a way of explaining complicated measures in a way any citizen can understand. It’s a gift.
During COVID-19, he practically put on his “reporter cap” during live-streamed roundtables with city leaders and medical professionals. As we stayed away and watched virtually to keep staff safe, he asked the questions everyone wanted to know the answer to.
LaGrange also saw a ton of development during his time as mayor. Remington has announced that it is moving its headquarters here. The wire paved the way and is now about a third of the way there. The Sweetland Amphitheater has opened. Great Wolf Lodge chose LaGrange and opened its doors, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Even Hobby Lobby opened here. There are countless other examples, but honestly, like a good quarterback, a good mayor probably gets too much blame when things go wrong and too much praise when things go right.
However, a lot of things went well.
When his term as mayor ends, Thornton will still be around LaGrange, so he won’t be leaving for good. But he leaves big shoes to fill for anyone who chooses to run for mayor to take his place. It will be important for his successor to emulate the transparency and leadership he has shown in good times and bad.
