LINDON — When Jim and Pamela Dain moved to Lindon nearly 30 years ago, they decided they could either sit back and complain or get involved.

So they got involved.

Now, after decades of frequently behind-the-scenes community service, Jim Dain is taking over as mayor in a city he has grown to love.

"(Lindon) is a wonderful place to raise a family," Dain said. Being mayor is his chance "to give back to a city that's given so much to me."

Dain was appointed July 13 and sworn in Tuesday as Lindon's interim mayor after former Mayor Jeff Acerson was called to be an LDS mission president in Rome.

Dain is no stranger to city government, however, having served on the Lindon City Council for 12 years, and as a member of both the Board of Adjustments and the Historical Preservation Commission.

He compared his City Council experience to a car merging with traffic on the freeway, where there's time to get up to speed. But the mayoral appointment, he said, feels like being dropped off an overpass into the flowing traffic.

"I'm up to 25 miles an hour," he said with a smile. "I'll be there. Give me another week, and I'll be up to speed."

But the Lindon City Council members aren't worried. Many of them have already worked with Dain on the City Council or various commissions.

"All those years we worked together before, the best word to describe is wonderful," said City Councilman Toby Bath, who worked with Dain on the City Council. "He looks at every aspect of every situation, and he's very focused on Lindon and what he can do for the residents of Lindon."

And listening to those residents is what Dain will focus on, following the example of previous leaders.

"Mayor Acerson was good at building the bridge between the community and government and making people a part of the process," Dain said. "I just want to continue to treat everybody as fairly as we can and make good decisions. I don't have a preconceived plan (for Lindon). I just want us to get better."

Pam Dain wasn't too surprised when her husband approached her with the idea about running for mayor.

"There's not a person in this world who loves this community more than you do," Pam said, quoting what she told Jim.

She said Jim's straightforwardness and honesty, traits that have endeared him to the community over the years, will continue to benefit him in his new role.

When Dain isn't camping or working in the garden with Pam, spending time with his five grown children and 10 grandchildren or working on city business, he's managing buildings at Brigham Young University as the director of building services, where he's been for the past 25 years.

In that position, he watches over 8 million square feet of building space and manages more than 1,300 full-time and part-time employees.

Dain also has a background in architecture and his own firm, Dain & Associates.

"I look forward to seeing that balance that he has proven to me in the past," said Lindsey Bayless, a current City Council member who served with Dain on the City Council as well as the Board of Adjustments and the Historical Preservation Commission. "He does see the future and sees our need for progress but also greatly values our heritage."

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