Dornisch pays tribute to late former mayor Auman

November 28, 2011

Photo by Amy Cherry - At a recent St. Marys City Council meeting, Councilman Dick Dornisch pays tribute to former St. Marys Mayor Jim Auman, who died earlier this month.

A moment of silence was observed for former St. Marys Mayor Jim Auman at the beginning of the most recent City Council meeting.
Councilman Dick Dornisch also paid tribute to Auman, who died earlier this month.
"He was memorable in many different ways as a St. Marys citizen. In a way it was a fall of giants," Dornisch said.
He recalled meeting with Auman in 1962 about the possibility of Auman running for mayor.
Dornisch noted that Auman was well-known and liked, as his mother had been. Upon being asked to run for mayor, Auman did what he always did and asked "Snooky" (his wife Edna) about what she thought of the idea. According to Dornisch, consulting with Snooky was a frequent practice of Auman's.
Auman was successful in his venture and was voted in as mayor.
According to Dornisch, Auman never envisioned what it would be like to be involved in politics. He said Auman once had his windows knocked out "simply for a stance he took on the water problem in St. Marys in those years and his business never came back to what it was prior to him running."
"But I also knew Jim never regretted having done it," Dornisch said.