Councilmen Take a Moment to Remember Jim Edwards, Ward 2 Councilman

Arnold councilmen and staffers took a few moments to remember Ward 2 Councilman Jim Edwards during the city council meeting at City Hall, at 2101 Jeffco Blvd., on Thursday night.

Edwards suffered a stroke on Aug. 18 and succumbed to stroke complications on Aug. 25.

Here are a few of their more memorable statements.

“Jim treated me as a grandson,” Ken Moss, Ward 4 Councilman, said.

”I met Jim during my first campaign, I have fond memories of him. You knew he liked you when he ribbed or kidded you about things,” Ward 3 Councilman Paul Freese said.

“I didn’t know Jim long but he made an impression. I was deleting voicemail messages, and I ran across a message from Jim. I couldn’t delete the message,” said Christine “Cricky” Lang, Ward 1 Councilman.

“I’ll miss him being a character. He would complain that we never got out of here (city council meetings) to attend dinner on time,” Ward 1 Councilman Doris Borgelt said.

“Jim was one of the people sitting on the council who hired me. I’ll miss him hassling me about all the pizza I ate,” said City Administrator Matt Unrein.

“I remember first meeting Jim 23 years ago when I was a traffic officer. He yelled at me for giving him a ticket. He still hired me (as police chief),” said Robert “Bob” Shockey, Arnold Police Chief.

“I guess he (Jim) really liked me because he visited me weekly (and hassled me and my staff),” Arnold Public Works Director Bryson Baker said.

“Weekly visits were never a good thing (regarding Edwards),” Shockey said with a laugh, shared by the entire council, after Baker’s statement. 

“I beat Jim to win my first city council election but it wasn’t personal. He and I became good friends later," Bill Moritz, Ward 2 Councilman, said.

City Clerk Diane Waller called Edwards name during at a roll call of all councilmen on Thursday night’s meeting. Each councilman’s name is called at the meeting prior to formally leaving the council, according to tradition.

After a moment of silence Moritz, who is mayor pro tem and led the meeting, said “Jim’s excused.”

Mayor Ron Counts was traveling this week and did not attend the meeting.