To the Editor:

To the Ogdensburg Community:

I first met Dick Lockwood in 1979, long before anyone of his friends thought to call him The Old Gray Mayor. First as a City Councilor and then as a newly elected Mayor, I and every other City employee that I knew found him to be supportive, caring, and a pleasure to work with. His special talent was the ability to preside over controversial, and often tense meetings or situations, and to keep those discussions at a civil level. Handling disagreements and differing points of view are part of the job for a mayor. 

But, over 20 years as Ogdensburg’s Mayor I don’t recall a single instance where he lost his temper, denied a citizen the right to speak their mind, or was publicly rude to any individual. Party affiliations were irrelevant. That’s not to say that he didn’t have opinions about issues or some individuals expressing views on those issues, but his own opinions never impeded civil discourse.

Dick’s leadership style made every staff member want to work a bit harder to accomplish City Council goals. Staff members knew that even if a project or municipal effort was not successful, that Mayor Lockwood “had their back”. And so, challenging projects were undertaken. They included: Beaver Brook subdivision, numerous sewer and water projects, establishing on-call reservists for the fire department, a city marina and a new boat launch, a municipal pool, the feasibility of municipal power, restoration of the historic post office, a massive housing rehabilitation program, the Oswegatchie River trail, City Hall renovations, bringing factory outlet stores to try to revive downtown, a municipal civic center and arena, the Ogdensburg Growth Fund loan program, a sales tax agreement with St. Lawrence County, and support for Commerce Park infrastructure. Not all these projects and efforts were a complete success. But his leadership encouraged the attempts.

Dick Lockwood was, of course, known by virtually everyone in Ogdensburg. But he also became a senior statesman in St. Lawrence County. He was known and respected by other mayors throughout the County, and he formed close friendships with many. But this level of respect did not stop at this county’s border. Dick Lockwood served on the NYS Conference of Mayors’ Board of Directors for several years and later served as President of that state mayors’ conference in 1994-95. I had the privilege of accompanying him to the National League of Cities’ Conference one year when it was held in Boston, and I was amazed to see the number of mayors there who approached him as colleagues. Ogdensburg had no finer ambassador for its city or its citizens.

Dick’s sense of humor was contagious, and it helped to keep his friends and colleagues in a positive state of mind. I am sure that everyone who knew him has a dozen or more “Dick Lockwood stories” that will bring a smile and that they are happy to share with others.

In my mind, Dick Lockwood embodied the very best of Ogdensburg. He represented public service without the ego and without the drama. This country is in desperate need of more elected officials like Dick Lockwood at all levels of government. I will miss him.

John Krol
Waddington