Council departure

During the 26 years he served on the Fort Recovery Village Council, Dave Bretz has always attempted to speak his mind.

The president and longtime member of the council resigned earlier this month as he and his wife, Peg, have moved out of Fort Recovery. Tuesday’s meeting will be the first without him as a member in more than a quarter century.

While he served on the council he had a goal: he didn’t want to get home and regret not speaking up about an issue.

“If I was thinking it, it usually came out of my mouth,” Bretz said. “Usually more often than it should.”

His last meeting was Aug. 20, and the next day his Fort Recovery home sold. Now he and Peg reside at their lake house at Grand Lake St. Marys.

“My wife just retired, we always enjoyed the lake since we’d been over there,” Bretz said. “We just wanted to be here. We can go boating whenever we want.”

He joined the council in 1992 as a replacement for a council member who had resigned. When asked what project he’s proudest of from his 26 years on the council, Bretz has a ready answer.

“Getting the sewer separated,” Bretz said. “We (were) talking about that for a long time when we got that done.”

Additionally, Bretz pointed to the replacement and installation of streets and sidewalks throughout the village, as well as the creation of the village administrator role. Randy Diller was hired as the first administrator and is still in charge of the daily operations of the village.

“It made a huge difference in how things went during meetings,” Bretz said. “We were able to get a lot more done.”

Diller said he and Bretz have been friends longer than Bretz had served on the council. He said commitment and outspokenness were two of Bretz’s qualities that he’ll miss.

“He was willing to ask the tough questions and play the devil’s advocate,” Diller said. “But at the same time willing to listen to both sides of any argument.”

Fort Recovery Mayor Dave Kaup echoed Diller’s assessment of Bretz’s strengths over the years.

“He was very vocal and outspoken and he said what he meant,” Kaup said. “We will miss his leadership.”

Bretz is the third long-time council member to leave in recent years; Rod Thobe, who served for 36 years, retired at the end of 2015, while Dave Garman stepped down in 2017 after 24 years.

“We’ve lost about 85 years of experience in the last three years,” Diller said.

But he’s not worried about the future of the council. There’s still Al Post, who’s served for about 19 years, and most of the members have at least a few years of experience.

“I don’t see any big adjustments necessary,” Diller said.

The village is now advertising for Bretz’s replacement, who will serve through December 2021. Bretz’s advice for whoever is elected to take his place is the same that he followed during his tenure.

“If you’ve got an opinion, make sure you let the council members know what it is,” Bretz said. “And don’t be afraid to say what it is.”

Bretz will continue to work part-time at Cooper Farms in Fort Recovery. He previously retired after 40 years as a technician with Hastings Auto Sales.

While he has a new address, the formerly lifelong resident of Fort Recovery will always consider it home. He’s not planning on becoming involved in politics in his new city, either.

“Fort Recovery’s going to be my city,” Bretz said. “Anybody asks me where I’m from, I’m going to say Fort Recovery.”