UNSUNG HEROES 2023
Members of the London City Tourism Commission pose with Dezarn , center back row , with the sign commemorating his public service to the City of London on various boards at Dezarn ’ s last meeting as a city tourism commission board member . | Photo by Nita Johnson
Dezarn ran again - this time successfully .
“ That was when Ken Smith was starting his first term as Mayor ,” he continued . “ Ken appointed me to the London Utility Commission , and I served on that board for 18 years .”
He was also part of the athletic boosters club for the newly built county high school - Laurel County Senior High which opened in August 1970 .
“ Lawrence Kuhl got me into that ,” he said . “ We cooked and did fundraising for the athletic programs .”
Dezarn first served on London City Council from 1978 until 1991 - in a time when London was not the town with services and accommodations that many know today .
“ That was a time when the City had a lot of water problems . We were trying to get water from Laurel Lake . We had a lot of problems with water and sewer service in London . The City had very little money to do anything about it ,” he explained . “ But we kept on .”
Dezarn is proud of being part of other accomplishments made during that time on city government .
“ Some of the things we did was approve a new fire department and we had two successful annexations ,” he said . “ I was on the city council when we decided to buy the old bank building for City Hall .”
City Hall at that time was on Broad Street , leased from the London City Schools Board of Education . But London National Bank & Trust was being launched at that time and was building a new facility on Main Street on property owned by London businessman Jim Rose .
“ They owned that old bank - London Savings & Loan - and wanted to sell it . The City bought it in the early 1980s to use as City Hall .”
After his term on city council ended , Dezarn was then selected to head the city ’ s Sanitation Department which functioned on very little money - and had only one garbage truck to serve
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