MACKS CREEK, Mo. -- This town has tried to escape a negative cloud for the past decade.  Many remember it as an infamous speed trap.  Now it’s trying for a revitalization of sorts.

  Life moves slow but steady in Macks Creek.  Artist Steve Eidson had called this area home his whole life.  His surroundings give him inspiration for his paintings, for which he's won numerous awards.  But his most famous paintings were showcased on opposite ends of the city limits roughly a decade back.

  “Folks wanted me to paint a warning about the speed traps,” he said.

  CBS News journalist Charles Kuralt gave Macks Creek national recognition as one of America's top-10 speed traps in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

  A state audit found traffic tickets were changed, fines were doubled and that money was misappropriated by the city.

  “We're raised as proud, honest people,” said Eidson.

  The audit, along with a state law passed in 1995 that restricted how much money the town could collect from traffic tickets, resulted in the police station closing, the mayor walking out, and the city filing for bankruptcy.

  Hoping to radically change the image of the town, citizens elected an unconventional leader - a tattooed biker as their mayor.

  “It wasn't going to happen overnight,” said Mayor Jack Daniels.

  With a no-nonsense/heart-of-gold approach, Daniels has been actively caring for the city’s needs and watching the city’s finances closely.  Through property tax and motor license renewals, Macks Creek has saved enough money to pay off the balance of its bankruptcy.   The $2,000 has to be paid by January, then the past is water under the bridge.

  “We want to get some new businesses in town,” said Daniels.

  Since Daniels took office, four new businesses have popped up.  In another decade, maybe Eidson will have a new canvas to showcase his hometown pride.

  Just a few months ago, Mack's Creek City Hall and Fire District Building burned down in unrelated incidents.  Daniels volunteered to be the general contractor, helping rebuild city hall under budget.  A new firehouse will be under construction soon.