
John Clemons, Roy Srp stand together after their final city council meeting served together in 2022.Photo by Eli Lutgens
Former Waseca mayor John Clemons dies
Wed, 10/09/2024 - 9:27pm
John Clemons died last week at the age of 66 after an emergency hospitalization for cardiac arrest. Clemons had spent more than 30 years as an elected official for the city of Waseca, including serving as mayor from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2015 to 2017.
“You always knew where he stood,” recalls Al Rose, whose leadership as a Waseca City Council member coincided with Clemons’. “He and I didn’t always agree; in fact, there were times we bumped heads pretty hard. But he was always willing to agree to disagree and still be friendly.
“He had a good heart, and you always knew it was in the right place.”
“He was a good man who died too young,” observes Roy Srp, who was a council member and mayor across the same 30 years. In fact, Srp credits his entry into public leadership to Clemons. After both of them had been caught in a “traffic jam” caused by a train, Srp says Clemons asked him “What are we going to do about this problem?” Then suggested an answer to his own question: “You could run for city council and help find a solution.”
Srp says, after some thought, he decided he would give it a try and, “Lo and behold, I won!”
“The longer I knew him, the more I realized he had a genuine love, care and affection for the people of Waseca. He was always acting in what he perceived to be their best interest.”
Srp, who was a longtime employee of the railroad, was impressed with the diplomacy and positivity Clemons always brought to meetings and discussions. Srp remembers some complex exchanges with DM&E Railroad, which, at the time, wanted to work with cities along its route regarding a large contract to haul coal. “John believed community partnerships with the train company were the best approach; he negotiated the terms positively and was the first mayor along the route to sign on.”
Srp mentions railroad leadership at the time praised Clemons for his willingness to communicate and seek mutually acceptable solutions.
Another instance where Clemons was “the voice of Waseca” occurred when 12-year-old Cally Jo Larson was found murdered in her home. The community experienced pressure and interest from national-level media regarding the crime until months later, some of her possessions were found among the items recovered during a burglary investigation and the burglar confessed.
“John served his community very well. He was not a politician, he was a public servant,” Srp remembers regarding incidents large and small.
Srp says the large baskets of summer flowers along State Street were initiated by Clemons. When city staff questioned whether it was appropriate for maintenance workers to take care of watering the plants, Clemons proposed that he and Srp could take on the task.
“We did that a few times,” Srp remembers, “Then some of the staff members decided it wasn’t the job of the mayor or a city councilman to water the flowers.”
According to Rose, Clemons began working in the print shop at Brown Printing early in the 1980s. He was promoted to the administrative level, where he worked for decades as a purchaser. During that time, he attended Minnesota State, Mankato, and earned degrees in business administration, industrial relations, and economics.
A husband and father, Clemons prioritized his relationships with his wife, Mary, and his son, Alex.
“If he was in a mood,” recalls Srp, “all I had to do to bring a smile back on his face was to ask about Mary or Alex. They were the center of his life and brought him great joy.”