For many Arkansas mayors, particularly in small cities and towns with limited resources and staff, the job of being the municipality’s chief executive often goes beyond administrative tasks and the duties set forth in state code. That’s certainly true for Bono Mayor Danny Shaw. “I’m kind of on the front lines, so to speak. I may one day have to carry the trash out and the next day drive a dump truck or build a bridge.”

Before taking public office 10 years ago, Shaw spent 27 years in the moving business. As a young person, he came up in his family’s manufacturing business, where he learned to weld, paint, set up and operate machinery, and even “a little engineering.” All of those skills were put to good use this summer when, after acquiring a batch of pipes from Federal Surplus Property, he built a pedestrian bridge for the city park.

Let’s hear how it came about in the mayor’s own words. Earlier this summer, Shaw wrote to Brian Jones, compliance and eligibility manager with the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, Federal Surplus Property: