The City Council chose the 66-year-old retired railroad worker Tuesday night to replace the late Eugene Mayer, who died last month at 83 after serving five stints as a popular mayor of the small town in Beaver County.

“It's an honor to be selected mayor,” said Sherwood, who has also lived in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, but always returned to Milford. “I have some big shoes to fill. “He [Mayer] was the most civic-minded person I ever knew.”

Sherwood was selected over Councilman Nolan Davis for the mayoral post. Applications are being taken by the council to fill Sherwood's vacant seat.

Born outside London, Sherwood moved to Milford in 1946 when he was 4.

“My first political office was president at Milford High School in 1960,” said Sherwood.

Politics is something he has been involved with all his life, said his wife Helen.

In addition to serving on the council, he was also a county commissioner from 1984 to 1990.

“He's talked about being mayor on and off for years,” said Helen Sherwood. “People have also encouraged him to run.”

Sherwood said while Milford's railroad yards are not as busy as they once were, other developments, like geothermal energy and a nearby wind farm, are encouraging to the town's economy.

He hopes the energy development and nearby Circle Four Farms, a plastics factory and the region's proposed mining operations, along with a new hospital, will allow young people to stay here.

“Things are looking pretty good,” he said.

Some of the challenges he faces for the town of 1,400 people are dealing with drainage issues and getting a new library.

“We have problems just like any other small town,” Sherwood said. “As far as I'm concerned, this is the best place in the world to live.”

mhavnes@sltrib.com