I wasn't going to write anything because it didn't seem respectful. But, I appreciated hearing people share their reflections on WMAY, and I noticed that people are finding their way to this blog by searching his name.
I only had half a dozen or so conversations with Mayor Davlin which were mostly small talk. Like everyone else in Springfield, I remember how welcoming and friendly he was. Even when he had something to be annoyed at, he reacted with a joke and a smile. I was a little jealous that he had a better politician smile than me.
Most of my interaction with Tim was due to my role as a local Sierra Club leader. I was worried he would back away from environmental issues and the Sierra Club after the clean energy agreement with CWLP became so controversial. Instead of backing down, he went on to declare Springfield a Cool City and pledged to do more. I was thrilled at the Cool Cities press conference when he said how proud he was of the CWLP-Sierra Club agreement. More recently, he told a meeting of the Cool Cities Advisory Council that he wanted to put Springfield at the top of "Green City" lists.
The fact that he didn't first run on a platform of being an environmental mayor makes me respect his commitment even more. I know some people dismiss the Sierra Club agreement because they think the city was "forced" into it and had no other option. But, there were other utilities in the same situation that didn't have the foresight or willingness to work out that kind of compromise. It wasn't easy.
Davlin received more praise for the clean energy agreement in the national press than he did locally. Personally, I'll remember him as the friendly mayor who oversaw one of the best decisions Springfield ever made.