ST JOSEPH — A celebratory atmosphere filled the meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners Thursday morning. Board members mingled with distinguished guests and citizens before calling the meeting to order and moving quickly through committee business.

About 40 people gathered to hear the final resolution to honor retired Finance Committee Chairman Kenneth L. Wendzel for 30 years of service to the Board. Chairman Mac Elliott, District 10, welcomed the gathering and introduced speakers who worked alongside Wendzel or were shaped by his guidance.

Commissioner Jon Hinkelman, District 2, who currently serves on the Finance Committee, noted his first job was picking cherries on Wendzel’s farm, and impressed upon him the importance of local politics, crediting Wendzel with shaping his life.

Other comments came from former co-commissioner Rolland Oselka who said Wendzel was “tough, but fair,” and looked after county finances as if they were his own. 

A common thread was not only Wendzel’s “feisty spirit” and frugality, but in spite of differences among him and other commissioners and community members, spirited debate always focused on issues, not personalities. And a conciliatory cup of coffee or lunch followed.

The finance committee during Wendzel’s tenure tried to design finances with an eye to the future, and led the committee through tough economic times, said former Berrien County Commissioner John M. Henry. 

There was plenty of laughter at Wendzel’s frugality. Former prosecutor, now Berrien County Trial Court Judge Dennis M. Wiley, said he only asked for a box of paperclips once and was told to sift through old files and find some there. Wendzel was a responsible steward of the county’s finances, Wiley said, and always considered if county expenditures benefited Berrien County citizens.

Commissioner Jon Hinkelman, District 2, read aloud the last resolution to the crowded room to rename Conference Room 4C, where the Finance Committee meets, the Kenneth L. Wendzel Conference Room. A plaque will hang in the conference room crediting Wendzel’s vision that led to the strong financial position Berrien County has today.

“We stand on your shoulders,” Elliott said.

Wendzel, accompanied by family, spoke after Hinkelman read aloud the resolution and the board ceremoniously approved it. Wendzel said he thought today’s Board of Commissioners is sound, and that he is proud to be a citizen of Berrien County.

Other commission business included choosing committee members Bob Harrison, District 7, Jim Curran, District 11, and Teri Freehling, District 8 to form the Berrien County Advisory Transportation Team committee to represent the Board of Commissioners with public transportation providers on coordinating and consolidating public transit.