Berget's 11-year run as mayor over

With a letter of resignation submitted on the morning of Nov. 12 and his swearing-in that same Wednesday afternoon, Tony Berget’s transition into a seat on the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners is now complete.

Berget will serve out the rest of outgoing commissioner Rita Windom’s term and then begin serving his own come January. The change represents the end of an 11-year run as mayor for Berget.

Berget’s first venture into political life was in 1996.

“When I came to town, I opened up a business and one of the council members encouraged me to come down and apply for a council position because they were going to have an opening,” Berget said. “I agreed to do that and that’s how I got started.”

When asked why he got into politics in the first place, Berget points clear back to high school days.

“Libby gave me so much when I was in high school. The community came together and raised money for me to go to Finland … there were basketball games, hot dog feeds, people came out and really supported me,” Berget said. “I followed that up with a trip to Brazil as an exchange student and again, the community supported.”

As is the case with the majority of youngsters, high school graduation means leaving Libby to see what else the world has to offer. Berget went off to college at Montana State and then made his way to other spots around the Pacific Northwest. He said the day arrived when he realized that Libby was where he belonged.

“To be able to come back and give back, that’s how I got started (in politics),” he said.

In January 1998, Berget became mayor after defeating longtime incumbent Fred Brown during the general election in November 1997.

Over the years, Berget points to city infrastructure as what he will remember as a primary accomplishment.

“I guess I’m really proud of all the infrastructure we’ve replaced underground,” Berget said. “And some of the roadways, they were clay and then a little gravel and asphalt on top. There were areas where they would dig and come across a stump in the roadway. It just shows you that there was no real work on infrastructure.”

Nowadays, Berget said a strong process is in place for building roads that he believes will be around a long time.

Berget is also pleased with the implementation of a new water-treatment plant and the installation of new water and sewer mains. Over the last eight years, the city has been making progress by replacing the underground water system block by block.

Finally, the outgoing mayor said he was “ecstatic” to see the Fred Brown Pavilion go in at Riverfront Park.

“It’s something I had always envisioned and every time we’d start working on the park, then you would have an issue,” Berget said. “It’s just frustrating because you get all ready to go and then you stop.”

As he left office, the city has received preliminary approval on the Cabinet Heights water and sewer system.

“The mayor that follows me, he or she will have to finish that up,” Berget said. “All that stuff – it just takes so much work and time. As mayor, it’s a full-time job that pays part-time.”

At last word, Charlene Leckrone, city council president, and Doug Roll, council member, were interested in the job. The council had plans to discuss the issue at its Tuesday meeting, which occurred after presstime.

Berget, meanwhile, will sit in on his first regular meeting as a commissioner on Wednesday in Eureka.