The Fond du Lac County executive is celebrating a milestone. A special ceremony was held prior to Tuesday night’s county board organizational meeting to honor county executive Al Buechel’s 40th anniversary in county government. “I’m a bit stunned,” Buechel said. “I thought they were going to just present a plaque. But the video, the kind words and all the rest is just really phenomenal.” Hundreds of well wishers greeted Buechel at a reception in a meeting room at the government center last night including former congressman Tom Petri and former city manager Tom Herre. A 15 minute video was played with comments from several local and state dignitaries including former governor Tommy Thompson. State senator Duey Stroebel presented Buechel with a special plaque signed by area legislators congratulating him on 40 years of service. “I think when you spend this much time in the public eye people understand where your heart truly is,” Stroebel said. “They all know that Allen’s heart is in the right spot.” Buechel was first elected county board supervisor in 1976 and was elected to his first term as county executive in 1992. He is the longest serving county executive in the state. Buechel says he plans on running for re-election next year.
