Noel Busck, former mayor of Thornton, has come a long way in his lifetime.

Coming from a poor family in New York, Busck decided to join the military. He eventually was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver in 1959. During that time, Busck said he thought he was moving to the middle of nowhere. Busck laughs at it now, considering how much Denver and Thornton have grown.

Busck and his wife became residents of Thornton in 1964. During this time, Thornton was a small community of around 12,000 people, with a bad rap according to Busck.

"Thornton was a home for retiring GI's," he said. "It was considered blue-collar and lower-income."

Busck pointed out how much this reputation has changed with Thornton's new diverse population of 117,000 people and developments of million-dollar homes.

In November of 1999, Busck was elected Mayor of Thornton. He served in this position until Jan. 8 of this year before joining the RTD District Board.

"I've known Noel since 1985," said Jack Ethredge, city manager of Thornton. "He's very dedicated to his community. Not everyone agrees with his policies, but I believe he was looking out for the community."

Councilwoman, Jan Bach, didn't agree with some of Busck's policies either, but said he was a great man. "[Busck] thought mobile homes were blighted, and they are," Bach said. "But we made them that way."

Although this was a disagreement between Bach and Busck, she said, "Noel was one of the best mentors to me that I could have and I'm 53-years old. I'm no babe," she laughed saying, "He never stripped me of my pride."

Erik Hansen, councilman, said disagreements are expected in city government careers.

"There are always disagreements of people in these positions," he said. "That doesn't mean people hate each other."

Hansen said he thinks the city was better off since Busck was mayor.

"The process was bumpy, but we got from point A to B," Hansen said.

Busck said he was known for his urge to develop Thornton during his tenure as mayor.

"I'm a builder," he said of himself. "I like to build things without paying more taxes."

"[Busck] is a person who is caring and you can physically see his work around Thornton," Ethredge said.

During Busck's term as a mayor, a justice center was built to house the police and court systems, a new firehouse and a new swimming facility to name a few.

"I am most proud about building a swimming facility," Busck said adding, "A lady called me up and told me she had to wait an hour-and-a-half to get into the pool."

Busck said he responded saying, "Good."

He said that told him the facility was being used within the community.

Busck said a low point as mayor was when he tried to build a Wal-Mart southeast of Interstate 25 and 136th Street. People near that area were afraid of losing their views and lowering their property values with the construction of a Wal-Mart near their homes, Busck said.

"Everybody wants development but they don't want it in their backyard," he said.

They ended up moving the location of the Wal-Mart across the highway.

Despite this brief moment in his career Busck said, "being the mayor was the greatest job [he] had in [his] life."

"I believe the Wal-Mart controversies was hard on Noel," said Hansen. "I don't think he liked people not getting along."

"Being an elected official there seems to be a small portion of mistrust," Busck added, saying, "I don't know why anyone would not trust a local, elected official."

He said he tried to be accessible to the public. People could call him at home, saw him out in public and they knew where he lived. Bach believes he was accessible.

"Noel Busck was mayor 24-seven," she said, "And I have a lot of respect and admiration for him."

"Having people trust me is the greatest honor a man could have," Busck added.

Busck said he feels it is best to be honest with the public. Some officials don't believe in being completely honest with the public because they feel the public can't handle it, he said. But Busck said he has learned over his long career working with the community that they are more than capable of handling the truth and they expect it.

Ethredge said Busck is very committed to his family. "He has a deep commitment to his family. Many of his children still live in or near Thornton."

In reference to his three daughters, Buck said, "I am glad to have daughters. They worry about and pamper Dad."

Busck said he decided to leave his term as mayor because he didn't want the term to end and have nothing to do after words.

"My term would have been up in November," he said. "So I left ten months early. I didn't want to go through November and not be able to do anything due to term limits."

Thornton grew during Busck tenure as mayor, according to Hansen. "The city started to grow again and I think that's important and I think that's the most significant role he had."

Busck also said that he is still a strong enough man to contribute to his community.

"I feel the RTD Board needs a strong voice from the north," he added.

Busck said a challenge he may face is trying to work within the budget. "If we can't, then I will have to make changes," he said.

Busck will be missed as mayor in Thornton, according to Hansen. "He is Mr. Thornton."