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VICARIO |
Bellefontaine’s long-serving mayor Richard Vicario was busy repairing shoes in the mid-1960s when he was approached about running for the Bellefontaine City Council.
“I asked them what I’d be doing and they said, ‘You’ll be running the city,’” he recalled upon his retirement for city office in 2011. “It sounded better than fixing shoes.”
Saturday, Mr. Vicario died. He was 87.
His political career began with two terms in council from 1964 to 1967 followed in 1982 with his first of three terms as council president.
By 1983, he was mayor taking over mid-term and held the post to the end of 1995.
He returned to city government in 2008 as council president once again and held the post to the end of 2011.
“Dick was so dedicated to Bellefontaine and its people and to the betterment of the city,” former City Law Director Howard Traul II recalled.
“He was from a small town and was a small businessman himself from day one. He understood small business was the economic engine of a community like Bellefontaine.
“I think he understood it better than most people in government. He always felt that doing things to help the local economy was the purpose of the government.”
Current Mayor Ben Stahler recalls how Mr. Vicario was willing to take new leaders under his wing — even a Democrat.
“He was a visionary, mentor and friend,” Mayor Stahler said. “He was willing to explain how the council worked, not in a coercive way but as a mentor.”
Mayor Stahler recalled attending a state convention of city leaders and trying to listen to then-Gov. George Voinovich.
It was hard because Mr. Vicario was chatting along mentioning what good friends the governor and he were.
“I was thinking in my head, ‘Yeah, right,’ when Gov. Voinovich began talking about collaborative efforts with cities in the state and he mentioned Bellefontaine.
“Then the governor asked from the podium, ‘Where’s my friend, Dick Vicario?’
“I learned fast that Dick was really tight with some really big players in Ohio government.”
Mr. Vicario is survived by his wife, Jeanne. Visitation is from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home, 321 N. Main St. A Mass of Christian Burial begins at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 9, at St. Patrick Catholic Church.