A Final Farewell

I was thrown into covering the city of Linton about two months prior to the 2007 mayoral election. At the time, I didn't know Mayor Tom Jones that well. And I think we were both nervous about the change.

But, it didn't take time to form a trusting relationship with Tom. He was easy to talk to and very approachable.

For the most part, I believe we were on the same page when it came to most things -- although sometimes we weren't. Nonetheless, even when we weren't we spoke our minds and moved on.

In January, I was able to do a live interview with Mayor Jones. As a follow-up to the interview I worked diligently writing pieces about several topics covered during the question and answer session.

During the live piece, Tom spoke on the past, present and future of the city as well as shed light on many other topics close to his heart.

As it turns out, I wasn't able to cover all of that interview in the daily paper and it's quite possible that the best part of Tom's words were saved for some last thoughts -- which I will share here...

Fast forward to now and I can only say that I am grateful, humbled as well as honored to have been given the opportunity to do the last interview with Tom.

It was common knowledge to most that I covered Linton City Council. And while working this beat I also developed a bit of an insight on local politics -- which can get messy at best.

Nonetheless, through this experience I learned a lot about Tom -- which included his dedication to the city, love of family and pride of hometown. Through this working relationship I also developed a great sense of respect for Tom. I mean honest to God, one must either be utterly crazy or completely devoted to be a public servant.

And Tom was not crazy. In fact, Tom was ahead of the curve when it came to business smarts, leadership and vision -- which all three stand alone as admirable traits for anyone to possess.

But, Mayor Jones was also a devoted public servant -- which is double the intensity when added to his other natural talents.

He was a devoted mayor. I am a first-hand witness, as are countless others, to the dedication and hard work he put forth in serving his constituents.

Because of his dedication to the advancement of this town we call home, it was just natural for me to put forth a great effort when covering the city and its doings. As I said before, Jones was a natural-born leader with a knack for having vision.

His vision was for the city of Linton to flourish as well as to bring back all of those fresh-minded youngsters who left their hometown shortly after high school graduation. If anything, he wanted to give them something to return to. He saw the future of the city of Linton full of generations of Lintonians from young to old. A place for new families to grow. A place for long-time families to retire. A place to make a good living. And a place to be proud of.

I don't know about you, but as a mother that vision brings me comfort. There's nothing I'd like more than to see my children flourish in a place close to home.

And while I may not have shared the exact same vision as Tom, just knowing that I was not alone in understanding such a concept was comforting.

So as it goes, Tom's passing was met by disbelief for me. Tom has been a part of my reality for so long that I can truly say it's going to take some time to realize he's gone. His presence was always a comfort to me.

I learned of the mayor's passing through a phone call from my husband. He called me while I was on assignment out of town.

In retrospect, I am deeply regretful for not being in the office when I heard the news of Tom's death. As the 'beat reporter' for Linton I feel it was my responsibility to share the tragedy with the readers. And I apologize for not doing so.

Kade and I paid our respects to Tom and his family during the Sunday visitation -- which was marked with an outpouring of respect and love for the mayor. Total wait time was three hours and worth every second. The first hour of the wait was marked with a cold blustery wind and an eerie air of silence only to be broken by the flapping sound of the American flag that was properly placed at half-staff.

Without a doubt, Tom's death will leave a huge void in our community. It's too bad that often times we don't know what we have until it's gone.

Prior to his unexpected passing, his presence in the public spotlight was already coming to a close -- when last year he announced that he would not run for a third term as mayor.

Official word of his farewell as mayor came during a Linton-Stockton Chamber meeting. I was there. I sat right across from him and furiously took notes about his reasons for not seeking re-election. Tom also talked candidly about his reasons for leaving office behind closed doors. Off-the-record.

I always respected Tom for giving me a bit of background in such matters -- which were trusted as 'off-the-record' moments. But, I would never be so vain to say I knew it all, but I believe I understood enough to recognize a tired sense of frustration in the overall matter.

Tom wanted to retire from the public spotlight and be a good citizen. He even made that clear in his last interview by saying, "I think I'd just like to be a good citizen. I really want to support the next mayor that comes in here. I want to support the council. I want to support the community."

It was also in that last 'live' interview that Tom put it in black and white. When I asked Tom if the city of Linton was in better shape now rather than before he took office he said, "History will tell and people will tell."

In my book of history, Tom Jones goes down as a legendary figure who honorably represented the city of Linton as a friend, citizen, mayor, father, husband, neighbor as well as countless other roles that I may be unaware of.

To me, Tom was a true leader at heart.

True leaders have vision. Vision is sight above and beyond. Vision takes evolution of thought. It requires working outside of the box. And let's face it, many of us are afraid to look outside of the box -- let alone admit to a realm existing beyond us.

Tom worked diligently for the city of Linton. And the sons and daughters of the city of Linton may not really know what they had. But, it is my hope that deep down they do.

It was in his final words of that last interview that Jones also maintained his commitment to his hometown.

He simply said, "We need to keep it special. Grow it. Support it."

Mayor Tom Jones gave his last days proudly serving the city he loved. And for that, we should all be honored to place his name in that history book.

Timberly is a staff writer at the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by e-mail at tferree@gcdailyworld.com or by phone at 1-800-947-4487 or (812) 847-4487.