By Jim Walsh | East Valley Tribune
In so many ways, Dennis Kavanaugh is synonymous with the past 20 years of Mesa history, serving 16 years on the City Council, the longest tenure ever.
Kavanaugh liked being a council member so much that he came back and did it again. He served two consecutive four-year terms, got booted off the ballot in 2004 over a term-limits dispute, then served two more four-year terms.
But in other ways, some people might consider Kavanaugh a strange fit. Kavanaugh has been a Democrat for most of his life in a conservative city that has elected a long line of Republicans to the state legislature and to Congress.
