Tom Cadden, 91, who led Indian River Shores for 11 years during two stints as mayor and turned the tiny town into a force to be reckoned with in county politics, died peacefully at Cleveland Clinic Vero Beach Hospital on March 31 after an extended illness.
Ironically, no announcement of his death was placed in the local media and no memorial service was scheduled, and a number of Shores town officials who had worked closely with him over the years were caught by surprise Monday when informed of his passing.
Born in Atlanta, Cadden graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology and served in the United States Air Force ROTC flying Strategic Air Command missions across the globe. He went on to have a successful career in the corrugated container industry, before retiring to Indian River Shores in 1999.
After moving here, he quickly got involved in local politics, and first took office as town mayor in 2001.
As a leader, Cadden deeply understood power dynamics and how to apply pressure to get things done. When he and a group from John’s Island would settle on which local politicians to support, Cadden would work living rooms all over 32963 collecting contribution checks to deliver to candidates.
“When Tom came on the scene, he … said, ‘We need people to know we’re here,’” said former Shores Town Manager Robbie Stabe.
One of the battles Cadden played a major role in was the defeat of attempts to impose a charter form of government on Indian River County two decades ago.
Stabe said he and other current and retired Shores public safety officers also literally owe their quality of life to Cadden and his efforts.
“Tom was a huge, huge supporter of the Public Safety Department. Everybody loved Tom because he truly cared about the town, the people and the employees,” Stabe said.
When Cadden found out that the triple-trained public safety agency did not have a pension plan, he knew the town would not be able to build the ranks of officers that would provide the services town residents wanted and needed.
“Chief Bill Schauman and I had meeting after meeting with Tom discussing it and he was like, ‘That’s just not right.’ He said, ‘How are we going to lure really good, top-notch people when we’re not even given a basic retirement like everybody else does?’”
So Cadden and Stabe found a pension lawyer, established the plan and then secured the town’s share of state revenue for the pension fund.
“Any of our guys would do anything for Tom Cadden because he really went to bat for us,” Stabe said.
If it wasn’t for Cadden standing his ground, Stabe said the department would have withered from lack of funding and staffing, or been absorbed into Indian River County Fire-Rescue by now.
Former Shores vice mayor Jerry Weick served with Cadden twice – at the close of Cadden’s first run as mayor (2001-2009) and then again when Cadden returned as mayor (2011-2014).
In between, Cadden was appointed as the town’s point person on contentious utilities issues. In that capacity, Cadden served as liaison to both the City of Vero Beach and the Indian River County Commission.
“He was a good mayor,” Weick said. He said Cadden was an “early endorser” of the effort to sell Vero electric to Florida Power & Light, and he also worked to find a solution to the town’s high water-sewer and irrigation water rates.
“He was knowledgeable and was a CEO of a company, so he was able to negotiate a little bit,” Weick said, adding that he and Cadden helped lay the groundwork that others picked up and ran with on utility issues.
Former mayor Brian Barefoot, who picked up the utility baton from Cadden and Weick on the Vero Electric sale issue and saw the sale to Florida Power & Light to completion, said upon learning of Cadden’s passing: “Tom provided great leadership and knowledge of the Shores community. A terrific role model for those of us who followed.”
Cadden stepped down from the Town Council in November 2014 when Joan, his wife of more than 50 years, suffered a stroke.
The Caddens subsequently moved from their home in Sea Colony to Oak Harbor, and after Joan passed away in May 2020, the former mayor eventually took up residence at Oak Harbor’s Somerset House.
