Monroe County's Longest Serving Commissioner Retires

By LINDA GEIST

PARIS, Mo. - In 28 years as Eastern District Commissioner, Mike Whelan helped lead Monroe County through droughts, tornadoes, a recession, a pandemic and a shift in demographics and politics.

Whelan retired Dec. 30, 2024, as the longest serving commissioner in the history of the county. 

Elected in 1996, Whelan carried every precinct except the one where his opposition lived, and he lost it only by one vote. He was 38 at the time. 

Whelan leaves behind a legacy of balanced budgets and better bridges and roads. He is most proud of his part in the building of 35 bridges-more than one per year-during his service. 

Bridges in rural counties play a vital role in transporting agricultural products like grain and livestock to markets, and safe passage for residents to school, shopping and church.

"Everybody drives over them-Republicans and Democrats alike. Everybody is glad to see a new bridge go in," he says.

In Whelan's first year in office, the commission awarded a contract to build a bridge near Santa Fe. Halfway through the project, the company filed bankruptcy, and the commission had to find a new contractor. The challenges jumpstarted Whelan's decades of commitment to improve county bridges. 

The commission also helps to preserve the county's most famous bridge, the Union Covered Bridge near Madison. Built in 1871, it is one of only four remaining covered bridges of the Burr-arch truss design in Missouri. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and, like Mark Twain's Birthplace and Mark Twain Lake, plays a major role in attracting tourists to the county.

Whelan is proud of the part he played in common-sense approach to budgeting that has kept the county in the black in years when other counties struggled. He also points to improvements in county roads. Equipment upgrades and quadrupling of the rock budget improved the county's 668 miles of gravel roads.

The county also recently purchased the former farm cooperative building in Paris to store and protect road equipment. Fuel tanks included in the purchase also gave the county the opportunity to purchase fuel at about 60-cents per gallon savings. Employees now also have a place to perform maintenance on county vehicles.

One of Whelan's notable achievements was helping to establish 911 services and a call center for the county. Commissioners worked with Marceline Mapping Company to map and name all roads and worked with telephone companies to make 911 a reality.

There have been few times when the historic 1912 courthouse could not open to the public, says Whelan. Even when the courthouse boiler quit in mid-January, the 1912 courthouse, remained open. For six weeks, employees dressed in insulated underwear and overalls to complete the annual budget. 

Another challenging period was during the Covid pandemic. Whelan worried about the health and safety of residents and how businesses would survive, as well as the logistics of how the sheriff's office, 911 center, jail and other offices could serve the public safely.

He was grateful to play a part in distributing $1.02 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to aid economic recovery in the county. Some funds were spent on the 1912 courthouse, the last domed courthouse built in Missouri. This included a generator to keep 911 operations running, new roofing, tuckpointing of cornices, a security system and automated doors to improve accessibility. Funds were also spent to help vital social service agencies and to provide seed money for the basement of a new MU Extension county office that serves as a storm shelter.

Whelan also witnessed Monroe County's transformation from an agricultural community to a recreational destination for visitors to Mark Twain Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lake put new pressures on county budgets for rezoning, roads and extra law enforcement patrol. 

Additionally, the Democrat saw the county go from Blue to Red. Once a Democratic stronghold, the county saw the nationalization of local and state politics beginning in 2006. Whelan's retirement leaves the courthouse with only a single elected Democrat in office.

A lifelong resident and farmer in Monroe County, Whelan says his love for country and county have kept him serving. Missouri ranks 50th of 50 states in commissioner pay and the job is rarely 9-5. Whelan says he has received calls from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from residents and county employees.

Whelan has also held other long-time roles including serving on the board of Northeast Community Action Coalition, University of Missouri Extension Council of Monroe County, and most notably "car parker" at the annual St. Stephen Swinkey Picnic for more than 50 years with his father, Artie, and son, Aaron.

For more than four decades, the eastern district commission post has been held by farmers within a small radius of the county. Former State Rep. Paul Quinn encouraged Whelan to run for office the first time. Quinn was leaving his eastern district commissioner seat to run for county assessor. Another area farmer, the late David L. Utterback, served as county commissioner for 24 years, a record only recently broken by Whelan. The late John Fields, who owned much of the land that Whelan now farms, also served as commissioner.

David Hays, a farmer in the Indian Creek area, was elected to replace Whelan's seat in November. His grandfather, also a farmer, was the late Lamar Hays, presiding county commissioner from 1960 to 1970.

Whelan says he leaves the county in good hands with Hays and Presiding Commissioner Curt Wheeler and Western County Commissioner Justin Edwards. He says their common-sense approach and level-headedness will serve Monroe Countians well. 

Whelan plans to continue to farm about 2,500 acres of corn and soybean with his son and plans to go to a few more tractor pulls in retirement. He also plans to devote more time to his three grandsons. 

But he says his heart will never be far from the "the courthouse - the lifeblood of Monroe County.

Photos by Linda Geist