Long-time mayor of Minoa Richard Donovan decided earlier this year to step down after spending 26 years on the village board and 44 years involved in community service. Residents elected deputy mayor Bill Brazill to take Donovan’s place as mayor earlier this month.
And while Donovan moves into retirement, the Eagle Bulletin got a chance to sit down with him to reflect on his decades of service to the community he has called home for more than 40 years.
“I decided that it’s time to step back. It’s bittersweet but it’s time to be looking into things to do that involve less stress,” said Donovan, who is 71 years-old. “Forty-four years of continuous public service has lead me to where I am today … I couldn’t have done it without the support of the community. It was always a team effort and I’m so thankful to those I’ve met and worked with over the years.”
Growing up on a dairy farm in a rural Northern New York town called Eben, Donovan said he learned the values of community and teamwork through his time playing sports there and working on his family’s farm.
“I learned how to manage money on a limited budget and how to work with other people, both at the farm and playing sports. A lot of what I learned taught me lessons that were useful for being a member of a community and eventually the mayor of this village,” Donovan said.
Donovan and his wife, Phyllis, have lived in Minoa for more than 40 years and have raised children and grandchildren in the village. His list of service to the community for the past 44 years is an extensive one. It includes 20 years in Minoa-Kirkville Athletic Association (MKAA), now ESM Youth Sports, including three years as president, and almost nine years as a volunteer EMT and fireman with the Minoa Volunteer Fire Department. Donovan served on the Minoa Village Board of Trustees for 26 years and served as mayor for the past 12 years. In 2012, Donovan was elected by his peers to serve as the president of the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM).
Donovan said he never thought he was the type to get into local politics, but his work with MKAA and with the Minoa Fire Department led him to make connections in the community, and he was encouraged by former mayor John Regan to run for village board. Donovan said he did not win that first time running for office, but ran in the next election two years later and won.
“I had no interest in politics, but my wife said I’ve got to do it because it was the next step in being involved in the community … So I eventually got onto the village board, and then ran for mayor and here I am 12 years later,” said Donovan. “I’ve always believed anyone that runs for the board should first be involved in the community.”
Some of the notable accomplishments Donovan and his team have made during his time as mayor include the design and construction of the current village office, the development of the “Cleanwater Educational Research Facility (CERF)” at the Minoa wastewater treatment plant, upgrades to Lewis Park and Reese Field, creation and growth of the Minoa Fall Festival and the fact that Minoa is one of the most active villages in NYCOM, said Donovan.
“Running a village really is a team effort,” said Donovan. “A mayor is like a quarterback of a football team. A good majority of the work is done by others but the responsibility is put onto the quarterback. But if everyone sits down at a table and has productive conversations, great things can happen.”
Donovan said he has met wonderful people in the community throughout his involvement in different organizations, and anyone who has been in his office during his time as mayor can attest to this just by seeing the large number of pictures, awards, certificates, newspaper clippings and Syracuse University Basketball memorabilia that Donovan collected and proudly displayed.
Over the years, Donovan has said trying to keep a village running with all of the necessary services is challenging, especially with the pressures of things such as unfunded mandates and increased spending on state pensions, insurance and healthcare. Despite this, Donovan said he has faith that the future village boards and administration workers will continue to make Minoa a great place to live through team work.
“We’re in an every changing world and there are constant challenges being put on villages,” Donovan said. “But I think what we have here in Minoa is special and I believe it will continue that way.”
For now, Donovan said he plans to take it easy and recently took up a position as an usher for events at the Syracuse University Dome so he can still be involved with the community.
“It’s going to be different. I’m not the type to just sit around and watch T.V. and my wife knows it. But I will spend it enjoying the years with my family,” said Donovan. “I would advise everyone to get involved at some capacity with your local community. It’s an important part in keeping the village vibrant … It’s been an honor and a privilege for me to have gotten to serve the community for as long as I did.”
