Pat McGarvey was roasted and toasted Friday night at the Austin Country Club.

Community and business leaders from Austin and Lakeville shared a dinner and a number of humorous stories from McGarvey's 36 years in public office.

Eleven of those years were spent in Austin, and the night was one more chance for the people he met along the way to say goodbye.

Former Austin Mayor John O'Rourke was emcee for the event, injecting his rough humor in between the compliments and shots taken at McGarvey.

Gregg Grose, who was a police officer in Lakeville when McGarvey worked there as city administrator, recalled sitting in the police department headquarters with water coming down the walls due to a leaky roof. At that time, the city had just finished construction of a new City Hall.

"Pat got a nice new office there on the second floor in the bank, all remodeled, and we were still sitting down in the wading pool," he said.

Eventually, they got a new office as well. A new police department building was one of the things on his list of accomplishments in Lakeville.

City Attorney David Hoversten had nice things to say about McGarvey's wife, Mira. He told the crowd she is "a woman of grace, intellect and charm, and how in the world (Pat) ended up with her …" as laughter drowned him out.

"But it does say something, that Pat has another dimension that we don't see," he finished.

Director of Administrative Services Tom Dankert started off focusing on things that have gone on since McGarvey's arrival in Austin 11 years ago.

He went down a list of buildings that have since been replaced by parking lots.

Eventually, he got to some of the items built during McGarvey's tenure, such as the library, the Town Center and the Courtyard and Chauncey apartment complexes.

"I would like to note that none of those came in under budget, though," he said.

Despite the digs, there were many compliments dished out during the night.

Bob Erickson, the current city administrator in Lakeville, announced a recent action by the town's city council. They voted to have Pat McGarvey's picture put up in council chambers, making him the only non-elected official to hold that honor.

"It's a living testament to your vision and your passion," he said.

Mayor Rietz also had a gift for McGarvey. She read a proclamation-poem she had written, announcing that the day was officially Pat McGarvey Day in Austin. She then presented him with the key to the city.

"And you can be most assured, it's also a key to all our hearts," she said.

McGarvey's speech began with the story about the first time he met his wife, Mira, when he hired her as the administrative assistant for public works. Thirteen years later, they met by chance in a restaurant, and the relationship grew until they were married in 2000.

McGarvey thanked all who attended. He said it was very meaningful that so many people he had worked with through the years had come to say goodbye.

He said he was proud to fulfill the expectations his parents had placed on him as a child -- to get an education and use it to lead a successful life.

He talked about the movie "Titanic," when the lead character Jack hands a piece of paper to a woman character, Rose. It read, "Make it count."

"Because of you, I can say tonight, sincerely, I have made it count," he said.

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com