Leading Butler as mayor is considered to be a great honor. But with that honor comes a great deal of stress and responsibility.

Maggie Stock, who will be replaced in office on Monday after serving eight years as mayor, said the position comes with its share of challenges.

“The stressful part is there are so many components to it,” Stock said. “I'm not sure I realized the scope of the job when I first ran for office.”

Fred Vero, who was mayor for two years from 1978 until 1980, said being mayor was a constant job. He said the difference between being mayor and a member of city council, which he served on for six years before his election, is substantial.

“I would get phone calls at 2 and 3 in the morning about everything from water problems to fights in bars,” he said. “It was very stressful. Making the jump from council to being mayor is a whole new responsibility. It's quite daunting.”

But while the mayoral duties can be overwhelming, the job can be enjoyable.

Leonard Pintell, who had the seat for four years between 2002 and 2006 before Stock, said it was the various responsibilities that made the job enjoyable.

“Part of the joy of being mayor was it was so challenging,” he said. “I loved the challenge.”

Richard Schontz Sr., who was mayor from 1986 until 1990 and again from 1994 until 2002, said he became mayor because of his love of politics.

“I enjoyed it,” he said of this time leading the city. “I always liked politics.

Vero said the role in public government brings with it several unique opportunities.

He said during the time he was with the city, its fire department was in need of fire equipment. To get a better understanding of what the firefighters go through, Vero said he was given the chance to go inside a burning building.

“It was the only way to know what they go through,” Vero said. “It was very scary. I have a lot of respect for firemen.”

Stock said the toughest part is the finances: “The budget is always the toughest part of the job. Council was never with a loss for projects.”

Schontz agreed that money was always an issue for the city.

“Watching our finances was important because we'd only have so much money to work with,” he said. “But that's the main project for all mayors.”

Stock said council was always good at coming up with creative ways to get additional funding.

“This group was great at getting extra money through grants and figuring out what they need,” she said.

Pintell thought that was a strength of his.

“One thing I was good at was getting additional funding from outside sources,” he said. “It's always been a tight budget. You have to find ways to cut the budget but not reduce service to city residents.”

Vero said while the finances during his term were an issue, it was not such a problem as it is now.

“We still had federal revenue sharing at that time, so we were able to pave the streets and things like that,” he said.

Vero said the more stressful aspect of his job was its constant demand.

“My wife and I started to raise a family at that time and it became hard to have free family time,” he said. “We would go out to dinner and someone would come up to me with a problem. After a while I just wanted a little private time.”

Stock noted mayors are always on duty to interact with the public.

“Once you're elected mayor, you're mayor 24/7,” she said.

And while the public is demanding at times, Stock said most people are understanding with issues.

“Sometimes the answer has to be no,” she said. “But most people were very understanding once we had a chance to sit down and meet.”

Schontz said he always maintained a good relationship with the public.

“I never had a problem with the general public,” he said. “People were always very appreciative.”

In addition to maintaining a good relationship with the people he served, Schontz said he also had a good working relationship with council.

“We get along very well,” he said. “Everybody worked together.”

Stock said there were occasional moments when she would disagree with council, but that it was always beneficial to the city.

“For the most part it was very congenial,” she said. “We've had differences of opinion, but you have to solve problems and get a good answer.”

Pintell agreed it was important to have differing opinions on council.

“It's important to have diversity of thought,” he said. “You can't just have everyone saying 'OK' to everything.”

Pintell said while the position of mayor is defined by the third class city code, the position changes with the times.

“In the time between Vero's term as mayor and Maggie, the needs of the city have changed significantly,” he said. “They sort of have to go with what's happening at the time.”

However, Vero said one thing that does not change is the title they served under.

“Sometimes when I'm out people will still come up to me and say 'Hi, Mayor,'” he said. “I think that's kind of interesting. I guess once you're elected you always have that title.”

Size: 2.8 square milesPopulation: 13,831Miles of streets: 51Budget: $7.7 millionElected officials: 7Employees: 75Mayor's salary: $10,000Mayor term: 4 yearsMayor duties: Chief executive officer for the city; supervise police officers; supervise city officials