Mary Dunn says she is proud of the booming little town of Eden, population 91. Dunn, who answered to “mayor” for almost three decades, is finally stepping down from the Eden Town Board. After 28 years on the board, she looks back on mostly positive experiences and is happy how she leaves her position.
Dunn, who moved to Eden in the early ‘70s, still remembers how she ended up on the board. In the mid ‘90s, she was sitting at a basketball game next to then Eden Chairman Jerome Samson. Samson was lamenting how difficult it was to find people willing to sit on the town board. “Jerome said to me, ‘I don’t suppose you’d be interested, do you?’ I thought it could be fun, so I did it,” said Dunn.
She noted that, at the time, you didn’t typically see women on those kinds of boards. She received a little inspiration from a noteworthy Britton neighbor, DeLores Henehan. Henehan was the mayor of Britton for ten years. Dunn relates some advice Henehan gave her: “DeLores told me ‘Stand up and wear red.’” Dunn followed that advice as she took a position on the Eden board in the mid 90s.
She quickly found herself the chair(wo)man of the board when Samson stepped away. In her almost three decades in the position, Dunn said she has been pleased with how Eden has thrived. “We have a grocery store, gas station, bank and lumber yard,” she commented. “And our restaurant stays very busy. You don’t usually see all those businesses in a town this small.”
Dunn adds that she has been happy to see young people move to town. “It used to be mostly older people moving to town when they left the farm,” she emphasized. “But now it’s a mix with younger people.”
Over the years, Dunn said there were some challenges. The legalities of operating even a small town can be time consuming. She also would get the occasional dog complaint throughout the week. But overall, it was a good position. Dunn added that she also appreciated Eden’s membership in the Municipal League, which helped clarify the complicated legal issues.
Regarding what she is most proud of, Dunn says she is satisfied with projects that have maintained Eden’s streets and the sewer system. She is also pleased with the aesthetics of the town. “I think Eden looks very nice, with our nice Main Street and two parks,” she asserted.
After 28 years, Dunn said she was ready to step down. “I enjoyed my time, but it’s good to get new blood and new ideas on the board,” she said. Upon her retirement, Dan Poss assumed the chairman position and Chad Fagerland was added to the board.
Though her time on the town board is at an end, Dunn says she isn’t going anywhere and will continue to enjoy Eden, even if she is watching from the sideline now.
“We have really good people in this town,” emphasized Dunn. “That’s what made my job easy.
