To the wider public, though, he's recognized as the honorable mayor of Saratoga. But come Dec. 9, he'll be passing the gavel on to a fellow city council member and sliding down to the opposite end of the dais.

"It's been a real honor serving as the mayor," Streit said. "Even more so, it's been a pleasure working with staff and the rest of the council."

Streit said he's seen positive changes in the council and improved relations with the public throughout the five years he's worked for the city.

"It was like a war zone when I first came on the council," Streit said. "But things have changed for the better. We may not agree with each other all the time, but we respect each other's opinions. In addition, the council is much more approachable now then it was several years back."

Streit will remain in the forefront for at least another three years as a regular council member, which will be quite a transition for the 48-year-old Saratogan whose inherent nature is to take charge.

"It's definitely going to be an interesting switch," he said. "I'm the kind of person who likes to take control. I don't like to sit on the sidelines; I like to always be in the 'know.' It'll be interesting seeing someone do the job that I've been doing for the past two years."

Streit was voted by his fellow council members to be the mayor during the last year of his first four-year term. He was re-elected in 2002 and was selected by the council to serve a second term as mayor.

Prior to his '98 election, he was the chairman of the city finance commission. He said it was his interest in the city's budgetary issues that motivated him to join the council. Although it may be difficult to fathom considering the state's economic situation, Streit said the city is handling the budget very well.

"We were able to build up reserves and put money towards some really good long-term projects," he said. "But balancing the budget will be an ongoing challenge, especially with the governor taking away the vehicle licensing fees, which account for 22 percent of the city's revenue. The council is going to have to make some tough decisions in the future. This will be a tough issue for the new mayor to tackle."

Streit also pointed out some major accomplishments the council has made during his two years of leadership, from settling a lawsuit with the Saratoga Fire District and approving a new fire station to improving traffic safety around several schools and neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. One of the things that Streit said he is especially proud of and will continue to be an advocate for is park development and renovation.

"Nick is the hardest working person I know," said former mayor, John Mehaffey. "I've seen him in action. We didn't always see eye-to-eye on things, but he's a principled man."

Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith had a few words to offer as well.

"Nick has done an excellent job in managing the meetings," she said. "Not only is he personable, he gets things done in a timely manner."

Streit said he's looking forward to having some time freed up and plans to refocus his energy toward spending time with his family and business. However, that is not to say that he will become less involved with issues stirring in the city.

"I will continue to push for what's good for Saratoga," he said.

He said he would like to see the city work toward becoming more unified, as opposed to having separate youth leagues, school districts and fire districts.

"This would encourage a higher level of involvement among several communities," he said.