Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith Resigns

Gurdon now needs to find a new mayor.

At the regular meeting of the Gurdon City Council Monday, Feb. 12, Rick Smith tendered his resignation as mayor.

He said there have been a lot of ups and downs since he took over as mayor in 1994. "I like to think we've made a lot of progress."

Smith said resigning was a tough decision to make, adding he will remain mayor until March 1, at which time the council needs to have his replacement selected and ready to take over.

He agreed to work with whoever the new mayor is, getting them up to speed on the projects underway, especially the cleanup from the ice storm.

He suggested the council look at the possibility of raising the mayor's salary, as few can afford to do the job for what the position currently pays, $486.90 per month gross.

"The day is done when you can get a mayor to do what the people want done for a pittance of salary," he said. "The council needs to look at putting a respectable amount in the salary.

Smith added being mayor of Gurdon would never pay enough for someone to make a living at it.

He said being mayor has been a challenge, but he's learned a lot, with some people willing to work with him and others not.

He promised to keep an eye on what goes on in the city as he will continue living in Gurdon. I'll still be a resident of Gurdon and be watching," Smith said.

The sales tax issue, originally spearheaded by Smith, will be "left up to a lot of people," he said, as city councils in Clark County all passed ordinances supporting the need for the county to give them their share of the money the tax brings in.

This sales tax money, he said, could be Gurdon's only means of salvation as it would bring in about $250,000 annually.

With this money, he said, the council could afford to pay a mayor more, give city employees raises, have better streets and possibly a retirement program for city employees.

"I thank those who supported and stood behind me," he said.

Smith then asked the council for a motion to accept his resignation, telling them it wouldn't do any good not to.

It took several minutes before David Buck made the motion, but not before saying how much Smith would be missed as mayor. The motion was seconded by Mickey Jones.

From there it took several more minutes before the council would vote on the motion. Finally, though, the vote was taken, making the resignation official.

Former mayor Darryl Potratz said Smith has been the best mayor Gurdon has ever had by far.