Corinth Mayor Vic Burgess says good leadership is having good vision and staying focused

by Minnie Payne

Three-term Corinth Mayor Vic Burgess, 65, said that when he was elected mayor in 2003 there was a lot of political disharmony.

“It [disharmony] has smoothed out,” he said. “We [council] disagree just like any council on how things should be done, but everybody keeps trying to build for the future.”

He also said that when he was elected, the city’s finances were in disarray and that has been resolved.

Even though spry Burgess is retirement age, he doesn’t act it.

“A couple of years ago while having lunch with a friend, I made the remarks ‘when I was young’ and ‘when you get as old as I am,’” he said. The friend rebutted with “You need to quit using those phrases, because you don’t look or act old.”

Burgess said that he has four rules: always try to do the right thing; always try to do your best; always do unto others as you would have them do unto you; always do what you say you’re going to do.

Burgess grew up in Yale, Mich., graduating from Yale High School in 1959. He attended Oakland College in Rochester, Mich. for a semester and had to quit in order to help his family monetarily. In 1961, he married and moved to Anaheim, Calif. Between 1961 and 1969, he attended Fullerton Junior College, Fullerton, Calif. and Orange Coast Junior College, Costa Mesa, Calif., taking liberal arts and real estate courses.

“I have been in real estate since 1964,” he said. “My real estate office is in Denton, and I spend about 50% of my time in it and about 50% of my time on mayoral duties.”

He said that he doesn’t receive a salary for being mayor and serves because he is having so much fun and it’s his way of giving back to the community.

“I suppose that my first volunteer duties were when I served as a police reserve officer for about six years for the City of Lewisville,” he said. “I also served as a reserve officer two and a half years for the Denton County Sheriff’s Department.

"In 1981, Lewisville Mayor Troy White asked me to run for city council, where I served for five and a half years," he said.

“After that, I was elected as a Denton County Judge in 1986 and served four years.

“I became Corinth mayor in 2003 and all total have been in politics 26 years.”

Burgess said presently the City of Corinth is looking at their whole master plan.

“We are also proud of the new Atrium Medical Center of Corinth Hospital which will open sometime in 2008,” he said. “It is a long term acute care facility and will accommodate 60 people.”

Corinth’s population is 20,500 and will maximize out at about 28,000, Burgess said.

There are five council members and one mayor, the mayor having no voting power. There is no limit as to the number of terms that a mayor can serve, and Burgess said he has two more terms worth of work to accomplish.

“Vic is starting his third term, and I think he’s doing a great job for the city by making sure that he has the right people in place,” said Councilman Jim Mayfield. “He’s also is a great mediator. It’s difficult to believe, but not everyone in the city has the same opinion about everything.”

Burgess has been married 35 years to his wife, Eydie, and they have three sons, one daughter, and 10 grandchildren.