After flying planes with the Navy and teaching R.O.T.C. at Auburn University, Council member Dick Phelan took on the mission to make important decisions on behalf of Ward 6 on City Council.
Twelve years ago, Phelan's involvement with the Auburn Veterans Committee helped familiarized himself with Mayor Bill Ham and the city manager at the time.
Phelan said he thought they were doing a great job with the city, but he wasn't as pleased with his City Council member. He decided to give City Council a try and ran for the position.
"I thought I was going to have one other opponent and I had three other opponents that ran," Phelan said. "At the time I didn't know what I was getting into."
To win the position, Phelan had to have the majority of votes cast. He had to win by at least 50 percent.
He said his strategy was to talk to the people he knew and have then talk to people they knew. With all his time involved with the federal government, he understood how people spent money at the federal level and he wanted to make spending more efficient at the local level.
"I have spent a lot of time doing this now and when you do something like this, you do it because of your commitment to the community," Phelan said. "You don't do it for any other reason. You really have to have a desire to do things people want you to do."
Phelan grew up and went to high school in Iowa. In the late '50s, Phelan said there were military drafts, so if he didn't go to college he would probably get drafted.
He decided to go to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He graduated in 1964, and flew planes for approximately 27 years.
"It was a little different than it is now, because back then they only had males," Phelan said. "The first year was a little bit rough. I enjoyed it. I got to travel all over the world, not only with the Naval Academy but also when I was flying."
In 1988, the Navy brought Phelan and his wife, Edna, to Auburn University to teach R.O.T.C. until 1991 when he left the Navy.
"I found a place I wanted to stay for a while after I got out," Phelan said. "I just enjoyed the town, and I enjoyed the students. There is always something to do at the University. You can do a lot of other things you really don't have the opportunity to do other places."
The past 22 years, Phelan has worked with Wilson Investment Group as a financial adviser along with his work with City Council.
Phelan said when he moved to Auburn he noticed there were some portables outside the junior high school, and he wanted to improve the Auburn school system. Since then the population has increased from 25,000 to 50,000, and the school system has had to accommodate the increase.
"There are a lot of times when you think we did something worthwhile," Phelan said. "Everybody doesn't always feel that way, but you feel like you made a decision that if you were outside looking in, you would agree with it."
In 11 months, City Council will hold another election for members, and Phelan said he has not decided if he will run again or not.
"Auburn is just a nice community to live in," Phelan said. "I do feel that everyone who serves on City Council, as long as I have been here, have all done it for the right reason."
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