Forty-two years is enough for Ionia mayor

David Swenumson sat at his kitchen table in his Ionia home, and talked about the end of what has been truly a remarkable political career.
“It’s time for someone else,” he said. “It’s time for the young ones to take over.”
He thought for a moment and smiled.
“But I’ve had a pretty good run, don’t you think?”
He sure has.
Swenumson has been mayor of Ionia for 42 of the last 48 years, and his secret is simple: Be cool and calm, even when you want to get into a yelling match.
“There’s times I’ve had to bite my tongue, I’ll tell you that,” he said, “but I’ve had a chance to work with a lot of great people. We have a good council, we have a great city man, we have a lot of nice people in this town and they’ve made this job worth it.” Swenumson was first elected in 1969 and served as mayor for 20 years before deciding not to seek re-election in 1989.
 
For more of this article, see Tuesday's New Hampton Tribune or Thursday's Nashua Reporter.

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