For the first time in his life, retired Fulton Mayor LeRoy Benton is unemployed.
"I've never really been without a job so I'm adjusting," he said. "Hopefully, the wife and I are going to do some traveling."
Last week, Benton banged the gavel at the Fulton City Council for the final time. He served as mayor for eight years, and City Council member before that. He didn't run for re-election, and that seat was assumed by Lowe Cannell, winner of the April 2 municipal election.
Benton said he and his wife, Frances, will likely spend a couple months each winter in Destin, Florida.
"And we'll go out west, and up north," he said.
And some fishing, too.
"A little bit of whatever we want to do," Benton added.
He may still put in an appearance at the annual mayor's golf tournament at the Tanglewood course.
"We have enough retired mayors now to put together a team," he said with a laugh.
Missouri born and bred
Benton's family was from Farmington, in the southeast part of the state.
"They call it the Lead Belt area because of all the lead mines," he said.
His father was a trucker. Benton said he attended the University of Missouri and graduated in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
"That's what brought me to central Missouri," he added.
That's also where he met Frances. They traveled within the same group of friends.
"We met at a church supper," Benton said. "I've been fortunate."
They married and after graduation, Benton went home to work for his father. He did some accounting work and then joined the U.S. Army in 1966, attending officers candidate school.
"We were expecting a child," he said. "At that time, you could (enlists and be) guaranteed a spot in OCS," he said. "We moved to Fort Riley, Kansas, and I spent two years on active duty."
He also served once a month for another four years.
"Then I came back and went back into the trucking business with my family," Benton said. "An opportunity came along to buy Niedergerke Trucking in Fulton. We had terminals here and in Montgomery City."
When the government deregulated the trucking business, Benton's enterprise didn't survive. He sold insurance for Prudential Insurance for several years, and then worked for the Fulton Housing Authority for about a decade. He bought a real estate appraisal business and then a friend, Ned Digh, talked him in to running for City Council.
"He said I'll run for mayor and you run for City Council," Benton said. "Ned lost to Bob Craghead, but no one filed against me so I won."
That was 1999.
"I was on the council about 10 years," he added.
City makes strides
Benton ran for mayor in 2011, won, and served eight years. While he was mayor and on the City Council, some notable things were accomplished.
"It's all been really positive for the community," Benton said. "We've got our negatives; we recognize those and work to correct them."
One positive is city hall, at 18 E. Fourth St.
"This structure was built 100 percent by Callaway County," Benton said, adding it was financed locally, local contractors and local labor were used.
"We wanted to compliment the courthouse, and we wanted it to be as efficient as possible," he added.
In 2017, a new maintenance complex was constructed with warehouses and offices and meeting spaces.
"And the sewer plant - that was an ongoing issue during my entire tenure as mayor," Benton added. "We spent four or five years planning negotiations with the EPA and Department of Natural Resources to figure out the way to move forward."
Some things were simple, such as the decision to move the city police department from downtown to a location south of Business 54 with parking and more.
That was the former office for Callaway Electric Cooperative, Benton added.
"It really worked out well to handle the needs of our police department," he said.
That meant the former police department transitioned into offices and meeting/training space for the Callaway Chamber of Commerce. Tamara Tateosian came on as executive director more than three years ago, and she has been a positive addition for the community.
"I love her energy," Benton said.
The feeling is mutual.
"I will truly miss working with Mayor Benton," Tateosian said. "During his time as mayor, he wanted the City of Fulton and the Chamber to be progressive. He encouraged this by his forward-thinking leadership making this community a place where people choose to work and live. I am excited for him and Frances on their upcoming retirement and send my best wishes."
Besides the Chamber, another hot place is downtown.
"One of the brighter spots has been the Brick District," Benton said. "They're taking control of their own destiny."
The Brick District is Fulton's downtown area, and includes draws such as the Brick District Playhouse and the Art House gallery.
Memorial Park was upgraded and the Splash Pad created.
"That has always been a team effort," he added. "There are super amounts of input and volunteerism."
He said he's interested in watching Fulton's new city council go forward, particularly with the recently elected members.
"I've really been tickled to see the youth movement on the City Council," Benton said. "I think it's a real positive for our community, balanced with the more experienced ones on there."
He said he's aware that the city council has a unique relationship.
"We listen and communicate with each other," Benton said. "You can find something you agree on and move forward. You don't have to have all the answers. But I think Fulton is right on the cusp of being able to grow."
Benton said now that he's retired, he probably won't be coming to many meetings.
"What I'll miss the most is just the people," he added. "But they don't need two mayors."