Remembering a man that was far ahead of his time

(Editor’s Note:  I saw a couple of posts on Facebook today that mentioned January 16 as the birth date of J.B. Kearney, who passed away a few years ago. Kearney served as mayor of West City back in the late 1970s and early 1980s and led the village into a new and modern era. I was a resident of West City in those days and watched closely the valiant effort that he fought against sometimes great odds to keep his campaign promise and get the job done.  I wrote this column back in September 2010, the day after Kearney passed.  There are some topics from the past worth revisiting, this is one of them. I hope you enjoy.    JM)

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I read the obituary and then I read it a second time more slowly. The name of the deceased was J.B. Kearney and as is always the case the obit told a brief chronological story about his life.

The obituary painted a picture of a good life, a talented man who was an outstanding musician, a gifted painter, a man that served his country in the military and worked hard as a public servant. The obit also clearly indicated that Kearney’s legacy will live on through his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We should all be so lucky, I thought, to live a long life that full and rewarding.

While I read the entire obit with interest I was particularly drawn to two sentences that read:

‘During his life, he (Kearney) was involved in local politics and served as mayor of West City in the 1970s. He was instrumental in bringing business to West City and helping to form the municipality it is today.’

While those two sentences are concise and accurate they stop far short of telling the entire story of what J.B. Kearney accomplished as mayor of West City.

Let me explain.

Only a few days after my 18^th birthday I went to work at Old Ben Mine 21 near Sesser and shortly after that I bought a house in West City. The house, located on Blakely Street, was an old ‘fixer-upper’ and I tackled the renovation a little at a time with absolutely no experience as a homeowner but with a lot of enthusiasm.

The purchase of the house also provided me with my first-ever experience with septic tanks. And nearly 40 years later my reaction when even thinking about septic tanks is – ughhh! There is nothing quite as frustrating as paying $150 to have a septic tank pumped out and then three days later see raw sewage bubbling up in the yard in that spot where the grass is always greener.

You see, I grew up in Sesser, which had a sanitary sewage system, so making the move to West City in the early 1970s provided me with somewhat of an education. Words like ‘sewer-ditch,’ ‘honey-dipper,’ and ‘out-house’ were soon added to my vocabulary. And let me tell you there is nothing quite like the smell of an outdoor ‘john’ on a hot July night.

It was during this time that I met J.B. Kearney. He stopped by that old Blakely Street house one day and introduced himself as a candidate for mayor. He got my attention quickly when he said that if he was elected he would fight for a sanitary sewer system for the village. Well, needless to say he got my attention, along with my vote and support, in a hurry.

Kearney won that election, unseating a mayor who had held the position for three decades and unlike many candidates these days who provide lip service during a campaign and then run and hide once they’re elected he immediately began the arduous task of keeping his promise about a new sewage system.

Looking back, I can’t imagine, particularly in that era before all-things-electronic, what went in to getting a mammoth project like that off the ground. Think about it, state and federal permits, government bureaucracy and red tape, snail mail and then dealing with every single residence and business in West City that would be affected. It still seems somewhat mind-boggling to me.

But perhaps the biggest obstacle that Kearney faced was a small faction of naysayers within the community who fought him every step of the way. To this day I still don’t understand the logic of those that battled against Kearney’s effort to move the village to a modern era and at the same time change the aroma of the air.

And it was that side of Kearney – the dogged determination, quiet leadership and unwavering perseverance – that prompts me to string some words together today to honor a man that I believe was a visionary and far ahead of his time. To say that Kearney left an impression on a then-20-year-old the way he forged ahead with the project would be an understatement.

Certainly, West City has been blessed with several progressive and forward-thinking public officials since Kearney ended his time as mayor in 1984 but when I look at West City today, the paved streets, outstanding emergency services and the tremendous economic growth (not to mention a sanitary sewage system) I always think of J. B. Kearney. I was there nearly 40 years ago and I know what he went through, saw how hard he worked and I’m still inspired by what he accomplished.

Obituaries are adequate and purposeful when describing the highlights of an individual’s life but they fail to reveal the real fabric of that person.

Today I would like to add a footnote to J.B. Kearney’s obituary.

Along with the relevant facts that were listed Kearney should also be remembered as a man of integrity, a man who was quiet, dignified and reserved but certainly not afraid of a fight and a man that stood up against loud and sometimes ignorant voices to do the right thing. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay to him today is to simply say he was a good man that kept his word.

As I stated earlier Kearney’s legacy is intact through his children, grand-children and great-grandchildren but another part of his legacy will also live on forever in a small and now-thriving village that he fought like a champion to guide into a new and modern era.

Rest in peace Mayor Kearney … you fought a good fight.