The Mayor by Daphne Taylor

Standing behind the podium in front of the News Writing class, Mayor Roger Van Horn took his reading glasses off and put them back before starting his presentation. Currently working on his third term as mayor of Nacogdoches, Van Horn is moreover a dentist with a full-time practice.
“I’m getting better at it. I had potential, but I didn’t know how to be mayor,” said Van Horn. He rubbed his hands together as the class laughed. He let the students of Stephen F. Austin know that the job hasn’t always been easy to handle. His job as mayor is a three to four day job as well as all day Friday. Nacogdoches is operated on a strong manager commission government in which the citizens elect the city commissions. The mayor is the chairman of the City Commission.
Mayor Van Horn said that one thing he had to learn was to set his personal philosophy for the city. It’s about the process and thinking broadly about the city. “It’s so hard to get closure, it’s different and frustrating,” said Van Horn. As a dentist he can go and find the problem and instantly fix it, but as a mayor it’s more of a process.
“That’s not how I make a living. I make a living as a dentist,” said Van Horn. He’s been a dentist for 40 years and said he randomly got into that particular field. He got an interview and was offered a job.
“It’s a good time of my life,” said Van Horn. The mayor at least wants to have five terms, but if he happens to not get voted back he said he would do something. He did say that he liked teaching. The mayor will keep himself busy one way or another.
“Get involved,” said the mayor to the students. Not just on campus, but in the community. Even though Stephen F. Austin students are temporary, it’s nice to do something to benefit the current community where someone resides. The mayor said to the class that even though he’s been the mayor since 2007, he’s getting better. He stood in front of the class not as if he’s better than everyone else, but as a person who knows that mistakes will be made and nobody’s perfect.