"I was interested in the city government and learning a little bit more about it and getting an opportunity to go through the class and learn [image-nocss] how this particular city government works," Richardson told the newspaper.
Richardson has helped to narrow a list of potential sites for a city sports complex. "With the economy and everything else, we've got to be conscious of how we're spending our money," Richardson said.
Casey's General Stores also sponsored an Oct. 13 Central Iowa Honor Flight to transport World War II veterans on a free, one-day trip to Washington, D.C. Richardson traveled to the nation's capital with his father-in-law, Nello Stefani of Altoona, Iowa, who was in the Marines.
Richardson has been a Casey's employee for more than 30 years, since before doughnuts were even an option at the store. "I was 22 when I started there, and as we continued to grow, there was always room for advancement," he said.
Richardson took out papers to run for mayor in the November election, but he said work obligations likely would have interfered too much with the roles of the office. Even though he didn't move forward with a campaign, Richardson has garnered enough recognition to earn the citizen of the year designation.
"I was certainly thrilled to think that someone would think that of me, but it was a total surprise," he said.
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