“This is a one-horse town, and I’m that horse.”
That is what Olive Stephens famously said about her 50 years of public service. She just retired as mayor of Shady Shores, Texas, at age 94!
She was mayor of the community for 38 years. Shady Shores has only 2,600 residents, but there was so much to do. “I kept going because I needed to get things done,” she says.
The town has officially only been in existence since 1960, and people say they cannot imagine it without Olive as mayor.
Her accomplishments have been quite impressive. She succeeded in getting a Town Hall built in her first year as mayor and managed to get Shady Shores into the Lake Cities Municipal Utility Authority. It was in 2000 that residents of Shady Shores began paying a local property tax. That rate has remained about the same for at least the last 10 years.
Do you enjoy seeing your town’s growth as a community? Olive Stephen’s dedication can be an inspiration to us all.
