GREENVILLE — Darke County Commissioner Mike Stegall reminisced as his term as commissioner comes to a close.
“I’m just an ordinary guy who has had an extraordinary life,” said Stegall.
Stegall has been a part of the Darke County Board of Commissioners for 12 years. He said “now it’s time for some younger ideologies,” and Stegall believes it is good to switch people out every now and then because it prevents complacency.
Stegall originally began his career path in radio, and he “was the only person that’s ever had an on the field interview after both practices at Wilmington College with Coach Paul Brown.”
After some time in the world of communication Stegall began looking for a career change.
“I just decided I didn’t like being inside, so I came back to work for my dad. We had a construction and trucking business,” Stegall said.
From there, he began his blue collar career with a “handshake agreement” at Poepelmans. He was told if he showed up to work, he would be able to haul the stone, and Stegall did that for 42 years. When Stegall made the choice to run for township trustee, he did not have any idea what the job would entail, nor did he have the notion to individually pursue the career. He said he was never really a policy person, but he just likes people.
“I ran for township trustee because Bill Kelly was pushing snow one day, and he looked like HELL,” Stegall said. “He had been up for 21 hours and said he needed help.”
Stegall said Kelly said “Mike, I need help. If you run for township trustee – the other guys don’t do much – I will push for you.”
Stegall may not have known what the job would ask of him, but he did know the people he knew needed his help. He ran for the position and was elected to the Board of Trustees.
“That was in January and in August Rosemary (his wife) asked me ‘is this a paying position?’ I said – I don’t know. He just needs my help,” Stegall said.
Stegall went in not knowing whether he got paid or not, or how much he got paid. It was clear Stegall did not pursue politics for wealth. Stegall participated in the Greenville Township for four years, and he helped start the Greenville Township Fire Department. From there, Stegall was asked to run for county commissioner. He joked saying …
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