Former Ironton Vice Mayor Dorothy Anne Linsenmeyer Nenni, 75, died Friday in St.

Sunday, February 06, 2000

Former Ironton Vice Mayor Dorothy Anne Linsenmeyer Nenni, 75, died Friday in St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, W.Va.

As the only female vice mayor in the city’s history, Mrs. Nenni’s voice of leadership energized the city during a time when Ironton was in great need of such skill, said Bill Sheridan, former mayor.

"Dorothy was an excellent member of council and she served during some of the bleakest times in the city’s modern history," Sheridan said.

During the 1970s, poor record-keeping almost destroyed the city, Sheridan said.

"The city was declared (in a financial emergency) in the early 1980s," Sheridan said. "And we ran on the platform that we would look after the finances of the city. It was almost too late, but we operated in a state of declared fiscal emergency for five years. We had a financial planning commission established. In Dorothy’s capacity of vice mayor (in 1982-84), she served on that committee along with myself and there were at large members from the community, as well. A plan was developed to deal with the city’s debt at that time."

One of the committee’s first actions was to lay off one third of the city employees, Sheridan said.

"She played a very large role," he said. "She certainly gave her time and efforts to the city in one of its darkest days."

After being elected Ironton’s first female city council member in 1975, Mrs. Nenni worked tirelessly to improve the city’s condition. Those efforts can still be seen today, Ironton Mayor Bob Cleary said.

"She’s been an inspiration for many of the city government leaders who followed after her," Cleary said. "I never had the pleasure of serving with her on council, but I have seen many documents and resolutions that carry her signature and sponsorship. It seems that she always had the best interests of Ironton at heart, so one can see there was a lot of leadership and integrity there."

In fact, Mrs. Nenni’s political terms carried over into the change from a city manager form of government to the city charter government in place today. Mrs. Nenni helped blaze the trail to the existing charter, having served on the Ironton City Charter Commission.

"I didn’t know much of her before I went on council, but I was very much impressed with her," former city councilman and city charter committee member Robert Berry said. "I think she came along at the right time –  when she was elected, there were a lot of important issues in the city and she was a good person and intelligent enough to do a good job. That all contributed to her success."

In addition to her political achievements, Mrs. Nenni was involved with civic work in the community.

A longtime Ironton Co-Operative Club member, she contributed to many of the group’s activities, longtime member Peggy Smith said.

"We were most proud of her in Co-op because she served on council and did a wonderful job," Mrs. Smith said. "She did a fantastic job. She was the first woman on council. We were extremely proud of her. She was a very civic-minded lady and a very intelligent lady who thought before she spoke. And when she did, you knew there was meaning behind what she said."

Mrs. Nenni served on the Co-op club for about 25 years before leaving the group to take care of her late husband. She served two terms as club president in 1958 and 1959, Mrs. Smith said.

"She was very active over the years on many different civic projects," she said. "She was a good member. Any projects the club undertook, she was a participant in. She backed the club 100 percent. She put her whole self in any project she worked on."

And that was just the type of person Mrs. Nenni was, said Carl Wentz, who served on council with her in the 1980s.

"She was one of the true leaders that Ironton had," Wentz said. "It was the way she was, the way she handled herself in public. She was always level headed, treated people fairly and did what she thought was right for the city. There are not very many people like Dorothy. She will be missed."

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Lawrence O’Toole Catholic Church with the Revs. Thomas Nau and James Bryant officiating.