After 30 years of work with the City of Fallon, Gary Cordes has retired, but is just as busy as ever working and giving his time to the community. In his typical character, the former City Clerk answered my call for the interview saying, “This is the New York Times. Is this the young writer I’ve heard so much about?”
Cordes has been a quiet piece of the backbone of his community for a long time. An avid volunteer and proponent of community work in general, he was more than excited to speak with a locally run paper about his time at the City of Fallon.
Mayor Ken Tedford said, “Thirty years with Gary Cordes has been quite a trip with never a dull moment. I will miss him. I highly respected his work. I highly respect him.”
And while a strong supporter of every community member’s success and growth, Cordes is humble about his own success and growth within his time in his position at a local government position.
I asked him, “you must realize that you are a part of a lot the success you are giving others? You get them contacts or things they need for their event or program to succeed.”
Cordes simply responded that everything relied on working with others, and there would have been no success without teamwork.
With that philosophy, he and his wife Tina raised their three children here, helping out at the many West End Elementary school events, Churchill County High School programs, and at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. He willingly gives of his time and energy to all the people he can and never waivers.
Known for his dedication to the community, and always cheerful attitude, Cordes made time from his new gig as the CEO of Churchill County Federal Credit Union, and spoke about what he loved and missed about his days at city hall.
Cordes reminisced on time he spent with people from all departments and walks of life. He started at the City of Fallon in 1989, saying that the mayor and city councils through the years have been helpful and guided everyone.
“It is a cohesive organization and still is. The same experienced and energetic people are helping the new clerk, Sean Richardson too,” Cordes said.
Mayor Ken Tedford said something similar of Cordes’s own work, “During his time, he did an outstanding job, winning many awards. He always upheld the fiscal conservative values of the Mayor and Council with the City finances during the thirty years.”
Being a former employee of the City of Fallon myself, we both spoke about what we missed of the day-to-day duties at the office, and what made the entire building a great environment. Cordes was a big fan of the intern program within the city departments and was never hesitant in working with the students and helping them grow.
“The interns, which you were one of, if you remember... they bring enthusiasm, and always want to learn. They are a breath of fresh air on a daily basis,” Cordes said.
While in his position with the city government, Cordes dedicated much of his time to community service projects as well. Cordes assisted in the organization of the Churchill County High School’s Grad Night for multiple years. He specifically mentioned his love of volunteer work for 13 years with the Construction Club Fun Runs, which raised money to build homes and other projects that Louie Mori and his construction students organized for the community.
However, he made it clear that those employed with the city government were not the only ones he appreciated working with during his tenure. He said that all departments and programs, like Mori’s construction club, the ROTC, and other community groups and volunteers were a large part of what he missed also. He could not stress enough how much of a team effort it takes for the entirety of City Hall to function as it does.
A peer of Cordes’s, Alan Kalt, who served as the Churchill County Comptroller during the same time period said, “He is very thoughtful and insightful in his thinking. His unique sense of humor had a way of putting a smile on your face. He served several years on the State’s Committee on Local Government Finance sharing his financial leadership to other local governments. I appreciated his professionalism and friendship over the years.”
Cordes dedicated his career at the City of Fallon to helping the community grow, flourish, and be close and friendly with one another. His volunteer work outside of the office, and those volunteers he assisted in the office, can all speak to the massive heart that Cordes has for the city and the community overall.
“It is great to see the city unfold throughout these last 30 years. It takes a lot of teamwork,” Cordes said. “It was a good ride – 30 and a half years with experienced and energetic people and a huge culture of volunteerism,” Cordes said.
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