I still remember the first time I talked to Kermit. He patiently listened to my rant and a few days later he offered a solution. I’ve been hooked ever since. A man who quietly helps regular citizens with their sometimes mundane problems behind the scenes.
Over the years I have caught myself defending him to no end, not because of some of the big votes on policy on the council but because of his quiet stands behind the scenes.
We have disagreed on many issues. We were on completely on opposite ends of the page when it came to funding Lewis and Clark and the Safe Home. Kermit also defended the Jesus snowplows contending that separation of church and state is up for interpretation and not really constitutional. (Kermit is a devout Christian).
While being on the council, the media coined him as ‘Dr. No’ something I am sure until this day was concocted during an editorial board meeting at the Argus Leader between Patrick Lalley and Randell Beck, though I don’t have proof 
The fact is, Kermit has proposed many progressive ideas as city councilor in the 12 years he was there. Many he never got credit for, which I’m sure doesn’t bother him one bit. His modesty is one of his best virtues. Besides pointing out the benefits of snowgates over the years, it was the mayor who scooped the idea up during his mayoral campaign got the ball rolling, then realizing the council didn’t want to play ball (mostly because of their disdain for Kermit) Stehly grabbed it and slam dunked it.
Another brilliant idea by Kermit that was mocked? Build an Events Center without raising taxes. Which was later proved by Mike Huether, except Mike never followed through with Kermit ‘entire’ proposal, funding the center with mostly private investment. While our taxes did not initially go up, our user fees have due to the enormous debt service of our 2nd penny.
Kermit was also a fighter for history and our museums in the Siouxland area. He has been committed from the beginning to get the museums an archive building to preserve our history, something that is still floating out there, and hopefully will be achieved by this new council.
Say what you will about the little guy, he has perservered, one of the main reasons and why Kermit has been so important for serving our city is his big heart for the little man. A guy who has probably knocked on and talked to over 40,000 constituents since his time on the legislature. The Argus has often never understood why Kermit would keep getting re-elected. I believe it is because he is and was well liked and spoke up for Joe Six-Pack.
But don’t be discouraged by his retirement. Several councilors elected in this past election, not just Ms. Stehly will continue to fight for that guy. While I will admit getting to know both Stehly and Staggers over the years, they do not have the same leadership style, but they do have one thing in common, service to you. While Kermit will be missed, his legacy will continue well into the future.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C19cZ77w9k[/youtube]
l3wis 
