Opinion - Micki Miller Earwood on Mike Stegall

Getting to Know Mike Stegall

By Micki Miller Earwood

            It could be said that not many people know and love Darke County quite like Mike Stegall.  So, it may come as no surprise to those that know him well that he eventually gravitated towards public service.  That journey began for Mr. Stegall five years ago when, at the prompting of friends and colleagues, he made the decision to enter that arena as a Greenville Township trustee, and now wishes to broaden his public service as the next Darke County Commissioner. 

Although he was born in Richmond, IN, Stegall grew up in the Wayne Lakes area and has lived in Darke Co. his entire life.  He graduated from Greenville High School in 1972, and not long after, he started the business currently known as Stegall Contractors, Inc. – a business that started in the 70s building homes, and eventually converted into a trucking company.  In 1976, he married his wife Rose, who was from Russia, and they are still happily married today.

             Stegall says he thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to help others and takes great pride in being the man who will answer or get back to anyone who comes to him with a question or concern.  One of his proudest moments as trustee has been a program started about three years ago with the Key Club called Adopt-a-Cemetery.  He worked with these kids to make sure that the seven cemeteries in Greenville Township were given regular attention in order to keep them neat and clean.

            For twenty-seven years, Stegall also worked as a high school football referee – a job he loved and seemingly learned a lot from. Recently, Mr. Stegall gave a speech wherein he shared a simple lesson he learned while a rookie referee 30 years ago; one that he feels has served him well in all that he has done since: Stay calm and think it through.  He believes any problem can be dealt with if we can just step back, take a deep breath, and remember those six little words. “Stay calm and think it through.”   It is this mantra that he feels has not only helped him in his personal life, but as a business owner and a Township trustee, and what he feels will help him through the tough decisions should he be chosen as the newest Darke Co. Commissioner in November.

            The decision to run for Commissioner came much the same way as the one to run for trustee.  Again, he was prompted by friends and colleagues for years but was finally convinced recently that the time is now.  Stegall regularly tells people, “If you believe you can help, don’t sit back and be part of the problem – become part of the solution.”  When this opportunity arose, much like the advice given to him as a referee so many years ago, these words began to ring in his ears over and over, and he knew it was time to put up or shut up.  Stegall won the primary in May by less than 200 votes, but his supporters are not concerned.  They believe the margin will be much wider in November and that he will be elected the next Commissioner.  There certainly does not seem to be a shortage of loyal supporters for the man either.  Over the summer, through countless parades and events all over the county, the Stegall crowd was consistently the largest, with an average of 20+ walkers donning “I Like Mike” t-shirts participating in every parade… giving up time on weekends and holidays, all to support the man they believe has the right stuff to help Darke Co. out of the difficult time it and most other communities have faced recently. It also seems to help that Stegall generally displays a welcoming personality and a healthy sense of humor. Evidence of this may be the bumper sticker on the back of the mini-van he sports around town that reads, “Have you hugged your Township trustee today?”

            If elected, Stegall plans to be more visible and make an earnest effort to communicate better than many of his predecessors.  One of his ideas for opening up communication between the citizens of Darke Co. and the Commissioner’s office is a monthly column called “Commissioners Corner.”  He is also open to having regular meet-and-greet/ Q&A sessions over coffee and such at different locations around the county.  He has already started similar practices during his campaign, and people seem to be responding positively.

            Mr. Stegall shared that, throughout his campaign, he has met a lot of people with all different letters next to their names on their voter registration cards, but they all have one important thing in common: they are all fed up with government!  Maybe surprisingly, for a politician, he also says openly that he believes it is our own fault everyone is so fed-up.  It is the fault of the elected officials, as well as the citizens, for not communicating and keeping each other in check.  His philosophy is that citizens need to vigilantly hold public servants accountable, and public servants have a responsibility to make the best decisions for the communities they serve regardless of whether or not those decisions are popular at the time.   We’ll all know soon enough just how many Darke County voters agree with his philosophy as they cast their votes on November 2^nd.