And he didn’t expect the red carpet to be rolled out last week for him and his wife, Betty, after they traveled about 225 miles to St. Charles.

But when city officials heard that Taylor’s grandfather — Charles Holiday Salter — had been a council member in St. Charles, they welcomed him as if he were a long, lost son.

“We had a great time,” said Taylor, who was elected Tonganoxie’s mayor in April. “Everyone treated us great.”

Taylor’s maternal grandfather was elected to the council in April 1926. He died before the end of his two-year term.

“They called him Holiday,” Taylor said

St. Charles’ form of government parallels Tonganoxie’s. It features a mayor, 10 council members and a city administrator. The council members represent wards in the city, which has about 70,000 residents. The council members receive $6,000 annually, but they attend meetings, along with numerous work sessions.

“They spend a lot of time,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he might try to bring back at least one success from St. Charles.

“They go heavily for grants and they go for them because you don’t have to pay them back,” Taylor said, adding that he plans to talk with Tonganoxie’s city administrator, Shane Krull, about adopting a similar plan.

The Taylors attended the Nov. 18 council meeting, which about 100 people attended.

“That’s nearly our whole town,” David Taylor said, smiling.

He and his wife were introduced at the meeting and David Taylor said a few words, primarily promoting Tonganoxie.

“What was funny was that everyone was trying to say the word Tonganoxie,” he said.