Stephen Bordenkircher sworn in as new West Lafayette mayor
Pictured l-r: Bill Owens, village solicitor, former mayor Jack Patterson, and Mayor Stephen Bordenkircher at the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 31.
WEST LAFAYETTE – On Thursday, Dec. 31, Mayor Jack Patterson of West Lafayette retired from his position after 24 years and Stephen Bordenkircher was sworn in as the new mayor.
“I have enjoyed my time, but it is time for retirement and to get some other things done that I wanted to do,” said Patterson. “I appreciate everything everyone has done for the village. We got a lot accomplished, maybe not everything accomplished, but we’ve done some good things over the years. I’ve worked with a lot of good people and I will miss you all.”
Bordenkircher worked with Patterson for 13 years as a council member.
“They were good years,” said Bordenkircher. “We went through a lot of accomplishments and Jack provided good leadership for that.”
Bordenkircher served an unexpired term on council in 1993 and three full terms. He left briefly to attend to business issues and then, as his time became more available, he started attending council again last spring and was appointed to finish the unexpired term of Roger Warner. Bordenkircher has also chaired various committees in West Lafayette.
“The village and administration have done a great job,” said Bordenkircher. “I commend Mayor Patterson and council for what they did to get us through the recession.”
Bordenkircher hopes to move the village forward and to start defining what needs to be addressed. His plan is to form a committee dedicated to community development. The new mayor sees various concerns in the village such as equipment issues, the need for better infrastructure to attract small businesses, and community development.
“We’ve got to be financially conscience, but not be afraid to spend money if needed,” he said.
Bordenkircher also said he and the administration need to address other issues in the community such as appointing someone to the currently-vacant council seat, new fire trucks for the village, the retirement of the police chief, and other new equipment for the village.
“We’ve got to look forward to building a better tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got to sit back and formulate a plan to make improvements within our budget restrictions.”
After Bordenkircher was sworn in, Ron Lusk was sworn in as council member. He has been a member of council for 14 years.
“My purpose is to serve the taxpayers of West Lafayette,” said Lusk. “That is my job and that’s what I will do.”
In closing, Patterson had this to say about his 24 years as mayor.
“It has been an experience in the political field,” he said. “It’s been quite a ride. I feel that a lot of things were accomplished in the village of West Lafayette in my 24 years. I’ve tried my best to make this a nice community to live in and I’ve tried to satisfy as many people as I could. I wish everyone the best of luck in the future. It’s been more of a positive experience than negative. I look back on it in a positive way.”
beth@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: Government, Photo Galleries
