A look back at Michael Hurtt’s time as DeSoto mayor

by Daphne Brown of DeSoto TODAY

In a month Michael Hurtt will shed the title that has become synonymous with his name.

He'll relinquish Mr. Mayor due to term limits after two consecutive, uncontested terms in office.

Come mid-May, Hurtt will get his life back; however, he contends that his day-to-day duties will not change -not much anyway.

“Service becomes a part of your life,” Hurtt said.

Having been named or appointed to numerous boards before making the decision to seek elected office nine years ago, Hurtt said the servant attitude doesn't just leave when the terms are over or the titles expire.

“This has been a part of my life for nine years, I look at it in that context. I was involved with the DeSoto and the Best Southwest chambers, the park board, hospital board and the zoo board,” Hurtt said. “It's not like I hadn't been involved. When there are so many things you are already doing, serving the city was sort of the next step.”

He said he has been proud to serve as an ambassador to a defender of all the rights and wrongs that DeSoto offers.

The city is not perfect, and he is the first to point that out, in fact that admission is among the main reasons DeSoto was named an All-America City, another title he said he is most proud. Working out imperfections has been part of Hurtt's charge since taking the city's reigns almost six years ago.

A typical day in Hurtt's life as mayor on occasions has started at 7:30 a.m. with a breakfast meeting or appearance, a morning ribbon-cutting, a mid-morning meeting with staff, a quick stop at West-Hurtt Funeral Home and a full afternoon of representing the city and its people whether he is inside or outside of the city.

As part of the city's goodbye festivities, the DeSoto Chamber of Commerce will hold its second annual Roast and Toast on Saturday, April 14, at Holiday Inn-DeSoto at 6 p.m.

Hurtt is the subject of this year's roast. The night's theme The Addams Family.

He has given a tremendous amount of time to the city, and now the city will get him back Š um, “we mean give back to him,” organizers said.

Roasters for the evening include Hon. Roy Orr, former mayor of DeSoto and current principal of Governmental Relations Specialists, Jim Baugh, DeSoto City Manager, Hurtt's brother-in-law Tom Munroe, John Firestone, president of Pierce Chemicals and Pierce Mortuary Services and Dan Eddy, University of North Texas director of community development. Pastor Oscar Epps, Community Missionary Baptist Church, will give the invocation. Off the Record will provide the musical entertainment and Patricia Coleman, vice president of marketing for Bank of DeSoto, will end the evening with a special song dedicated to the Hurtts.

Members of the Addams Family will make guest appearances throughout the evening. A portion of the proceeds from this event will provide scholarships for five graduating seniors of DeSoto High School.

Tickets for this event are $50 per person or $750 for a corporate table of 10.

For more information or for reservations, contact the DeSoto Chamber of Commerce at 972-224-3565 or info@desotochamber.org.