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JAMES HOLYCROSS |
Retiring service-safety director attends final council meeting
Accolades poured in Tuesday for Service-Safety Director James Holycross during his last Bellefontaine City Council meeting.
He was praised as a mentor and a community leader for his work as the city’s day-to-day administrator for the past 10 years.
“I had the fortune of working with eight service-safety directors,” former City Law Director Howard Traul II said during citizen’s comments. “He was at or near the top of all them. You could always count on him because he was the guy every day.
“He always had the best interests of the city at heart.”
“When I was appointed chief in 2011, it was during some difficult times,” said Police Chief Brandon Standley. “I had the privilege of working with Jim. I knew I could call Jim at anytime and hear his calming voice to talk me down off the cliff, if you know what I mean.”
Fire Chief Andy Fissel, Parks Superintendent Kris Meyers and Code Enforcement Officer Wes Dodds also said Holycross was a mentor and friend who helped them become leaders in their own rights.
Holycross choked back tears of gratitude amidst the accolades.
As part of his report early in the meeting, Holycross said, “We’ve made a lot of progress in the city. Not all of the challenges are over, but we are much better off.”
He thanked council members for their efforts and encouraged them to continue looking for unique private/public partnerships to address the economic and social needs of the community.
“We as a government are not the solution for all our challenges,” he said, “but we can be a part of the solution.
“I won’t say, ‘Goodbye.’ but I’ll say, ‘See ya later.’”
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