With a grandfather as a trustee of his hometown, a mother who was active in the Republican Party and a brother who was a city council member, it's no wonder Tom Worden is the city council representative for Ward 3.
Ten years ago, the man who had Worden's current position had to leave the Council, so Mayor Ham asked Worden to fill the slot. He said he had no idea he would run for two more terms.
In a year from now, the 67-year-old representative's term will be over and he doesn't plan on running again. He said it is time to get someone younger to get involved.
He said he plans to travel more with his wife, Tasha, and plans to make more time for his volunteer work with the Literacy Coalition, the Auburn Arts Association and the two church choirs he directs.
After 10 years, he said he's proud to be the representative of Ward 3 and the work he's done.
"It's in my blood," Worden said. "I decided I needed to give back what I could, so I decided to do this. It has been wonderful. I love that I can help in a small way, work with citizens and have a ward where I can be depended on."
Worden grew up in Valparaiso, Ind., a city smaller than Auburn. After majoring in elementary education at Ball State University and receiving his masters and Ph.D at Purdue, Worden applied for a job with Auburn University.
"I could do almost anything in the area of education by the time I finished school," Worden said. "I thought to apply to Auburn, see what I could do, and they gave me a job the first time I showed up."
Worden said he and his wife had always wanted to live in a warm climate, so the job was perfect. He taught reading methods to education majors, but retired 15 years ago for health reasons.
"I was very fortunate," Worden said. "The students were all great and they were all interested in what they were doing. They were dedicated to finding a degree and doing it right."
When Worden joined the City Council, he said one thing he wanted to do was make the community understand what the City Council was and that they could help.
"They knew they could call me in Ward 3 and knew I did what I could," Worden said. "It sounds pretty easy, but not everyone knew they could do that. I'm glad I have been able to do it, and do it to the best of my ability. I like what I have been doing here."
Worden said the council is currently working on the revitalization of Opelika Road and the downtown area.
"We have so many exciting things going on right now that it is great fun," Worden said. "There are so many things we can do to help people realize this is important."
Worden said the projects are exciting for him because the Council has been talking about them for approximately five years. Now it is actually happening, although he will not hold his seat on the council, he said he is excited to see the plans come to fruition as a resident of the Auburn community.
"I don't know why we would ever think of leaving Auburn because it is just wonderful," Worden said. "We have a ton of friends, and it is a great place to live."
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