For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 19, 2011
ROCKVILLE, Md., January 19, 2011—Peter T. Menke, who served as Mayor of the Town of Barnesville since 2001, passed away Monday night. Mr. Menke, who was 69, had previously battled cancer.
In addition to his life in politics in the rural municipality of 165 people located in the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, Mr. Menke was known around the Washington Beltway for his career in athletics. He served as athletic director at Churchill High School in Montgomery County and most recently at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax.
“Although there are politicians on a larger stage that are known to many, it is people like Pete Menke who are revered by the residents they represent and who fight a much tougher fight to get things their communities need,” said Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin. “Barnesville is a small community, but a proud and historic one. For the past decade, Mayor Menke was at the forefront in battles to keep Monocacy Elementary School open, to revitalize Barnesville Town Hall and to curb speeding on Barnesville roads. And in each case, he ended up getting the things Barnesville residents needed.”
The Town of Barnesville, which was incorporated as a municipality in 1888, every two years elects three commissioners. The commissioners then elect a president, who is informally known as the mayor. The town’s total budget, which fits on one printed page, this year is approximately $75,000 and it lists just one part-time employee, whose salary is $2,400 annually.
During the most recent budget discussions earlier in January, Mayor Menke told The Gazette Newspapers that most of Barnesville’s spending is focused on projects to improve the quality of life for residents.
"Our desire is to keep a really small-town atmosphere. We want to bring old-fashioned lighting back to town," Menke said to The Gazette last week of another planned improvement. "We're not looking to grow. We have no desire to be a Germantown or Rockville or Poolesville."
“Pete Menke exemplified what it means to be a community steward,” said County Councilmember Craig Rice, whose district includes Barnesville. “He championed advancements for the people of Barnesville, while retaining the small town atmosphere, a core principle of its master plan.”
Town officials have been requesting that the County help curb speeding in Barnesville for more than a decade. The town conducted a traffic study in 2007 in an effort to show that speed cameras were needed.
In 2003, the town repurchased from a private landowner the building that once served as town hall, but which had fallen in disrepair. The state awarded Barnesville an $85,000 matching grant for the refurbishment that would cost an estimated $170,000. Mr. Menke was among those physically active in the re-establishment of the building, which was re-dedicated once again as the town hall on July 13, 2009.
At the dedication ceremonies, Mayor Menke recalled how much of the town’s business from the mid-1940s was conducted at a church pavilion and later in the Menke home. Mr. Menke’s wife, Patty, served as town clerk for 17 years.
In the past couple of years, Mr. Menke joined residents to lobby Montgomery County Public Schools to keep open Monocacy Elementary School. The school system considered closing the school because of its small enrollment, but residents argued that it was a focal point of their community.
"Bigger isn't better, we all know that," said Mayor Menke, whose four children graduated from Monocacy. "I've never heard a school board person run for election and say, ‘I'm for increasing class size.' You don't have to be big to do it right and do it well."
Last year, the school system announced it would keep Monocacy open.
Mr. Menke told one publication that when he ran for elected office the first time, he spent exactly zero dollars. He said the major aspect of his campaign was to shake hands with Barnesville residents at the annual town potluck dinner.
Mr. Menke had been active in politics beyond Barnesville. He served as vice president of the Montgomery chapter of the Maryland Municipal League.
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Release ID: 11-007
Media Contact: Neil Greenberger 240-777-7939, Sonya Healy 240-777-7970