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Ed Burtner spent four terms as Mayor of Winchester, retiring at the end of 2022. 

On Thursday, August 22, he had the opportunity to speak to students of the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) programs at Robert D. Campbell Junior High School. 

“Everybody in this room has a story. You may not think you have a story. You may not be aware of the fact that you have a story, but trust me, everybody has a story,” he said. “Everybody has something about themselves that’s interesting.” 

After being introduced by Taylor Howard, who teaches JAG students at RDC, Burtner began speaking to over 30 students at the school’s library. 

A Virginia native, he started out by providing background information, noting that – after serving as a Marine for two years during which time he fought in the Vietnam War – he attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. 

Eventually, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science, followed later by a master’s degree in public administration. 

Eventually, in the mid 1970s, he worked his way to Kentucky, and later became city manager of Winchester at the age of 29. 

“I was responsible for the overall administration of city government,” Burtner said. “For 25 years, that’s what I did.” 

After running formMayor and winning in 2006, Burtner began his first term. 

He told students that – amidst the many joys of his career – it didn’t come without hard work. 

“Being mayor is very challenging. It’s very difficult. It’s not the easiest thing to do. It is physically challenging,” he said. “The first time that I ran for mayor, I made the commitment to myself that I was going to walk every street in Winchester and knock on every house in Winchester. In doing so, I lost twenty pounds.” 

When asked later by a student what the cost was to run for Mayor, Burtner estimated that the general accumulated cost would be about $8,000-$10,000. 

He also spoke of the process by which money could be fundraised, as well as buying advertising space in local newspapers and other media outlets. 

Burtner noted the importance of serving others. 

“Running for public office…is also extremely rewarding. The only way that people can have good communities and…have their communities improving and getting better over time is that people are willing and able to run for public office,” he said. “As you get older, that may not be the public service career path that you take, but every opportunity that you have to be in a school activity, coach a team, be involved in some type of community…you need to take advantage of that.” 

Burtner continued providing practical advice to students. 

“You probably have within you some notion of what you would like to do,” he said, noting students should look toward their passions, personal interests, and more. “I would say to you [that] you’ve got several years yet before you have to make a decision, but as you go through junior high and as you go through senior high, there will be opportunities for you to explore different things in the community…perhaps give it a shot and think about it.” 

Burtner noted that – in doing so – students would continue to develop helpful skills and more that could serve them well. 

Though retired from the Mayor’s office, Burtner continues to – quite literally – be an active voice to the community as he’s currently hosting the Mornings on Main radio program and others on 102.9 FM or AM-990. 

He offered students one more encouraging piece of advice. 

“As you go through life, you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be, but you may not end up where you had planned,” he said. “What you need to do as you go through your education and training…is be prepared to be flexible. When one door is closed, another door will open.”