FAIRBURY – Jefferson County recognized the end of county commissioner Gale Pohlmann’s two-term tenure with one final county board meeting followed by a sendoff ceremony at the Jefferson County courthouse on Tuesday.  

Pohlmann has served in the role since April 2016, when he was appointed to the position after the death of his predecessor. After Pohlmann was unseated in a four-person primary race for the position early last year, his time on the county board ends this week after eight-and-a-half years. 

“This is the thing I’m going to miss the most,” Pohlmann said Tuesday. “Over the last eight-plus years, this has been my family. I’m a people person, and go back ten years ago when I got out of the livestock business, I never missed the livestock but I missed the people. And now working in politics, I’ve been back with people again.” 

This trio of commissioners has been intact for Pohlmann’s entire term – Michael Dux has been on the board for more than two decades while Mark Schoenrock joined the crew shortly before Pohlmann did, under similar circumstances, meaning this will be the first changeup to the county government in close to a decade.  

This year, Pohlmann served as chair of the board, a role which normally rotates through the three members. The chair is responsible for leading and directing the weekly meetings, finalizing motions and ultimately signing provisions into effect when required. Pohlmann executed those responsibilities for the final time at Tuesday’s weekly board meeting. 

Fast forward just a few hours, and that same space was the site of a celebration, orchestrated by the county clerks and attended by a few dozen of Pohlmann’s local government colleagues as well as his family.  

“I’ve always felt we’ve had good employees, good people in our departments here at the courthouse and in the county,” Pohlmann said. “They’ve all stopped by, and I’ve really appreciated that.” 

A former hog farmer and lifetime arborist, the now 77-year-old Pohlmann said he never expected he’d get involved in local politics during his younger days – but doing so actually fulfills a family destiny.  

“I knew that that if I didn’t have the time, I wouldn’t be able to do it the way I want to do it,” he said. “I said, if I’m going to be involved, then I’m going to be involved, and give it 100 percent.” 

Gale’s father Raymond was himself a two-term Jefferson County commissioner starting in 1977, and said at the time he dreamed one of his children would follow in his footsteps. Gale said Tuesday he wasn’t interested at the time, but now, about four decades later, the younger Pohlmann has carried that family standard while also making his own impact on the county and the multiple regional organizations he’s served on – many of which he will continue to work with now that his official time on the county board has come to a close. 

"Now I have to kind of readjust, after today. It’ll probably all kind of hit me today or tonight, and tomorrow, that’s probably when I’ll really notice it, and get to thinking of what my next steps are. I’m hoping to do some volunteer work and get involved with the legislature here now, and staying on the behavioral health advisory committee with Region V Services.”  

The photos on the wall across from the boardroom showcase the history of the county commissioners and the other local elected officials. And with this chapter coming to a close, more photos will eventually be added to that string, commemorating the work this crew of commissioners has accomplished – as Jefferson County prepares to officially enter a new era later this week.