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MIDDLETOWN — The last time we saw Jim Surgenor, he was running for — and pulling out of the race for — a seat on Middletown City Council.

That was the fall of 2005.

Since then, Surgenor said he has "disappeared" from public view.

He married a woman he met on the Internet, moved to Wilmington to be closer to her family, got divorced after 21/2 years, returned to Middletown, rented an efficiency apartment and after several "odd jobs," began as a sales associate at Jack's Aquarium and Pets in the Middletown Shopping Center.

And now Surgenor wants to win the eighth season of "American Idol," the equivalent of the city golf champion winning the Masters.

Talk about an American dream.

For a guy who lives in an apartment smaller than most one-car garages, Surgenor, 25, thinks like a man in a mansion.

He leaves Friday for the preliminary auditions of "American Idol" in Louisville, Ky., and expects to continue singing all the way to Hollywood.

"I got a shot," he said after rehearsing two of his songs Wednesday, July 16, inside his apartment. "I have a gift and I have to use it."

He has three songs prepared for his audition: Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog," Disney's "A Whole New World," and Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

After rehearsing one of Presley's biggest hits, Surgenor was asked to describe his style. He couldn't decide between rock 'n' roll or pop, then settled on "Jimbo style."

One day, he said, Jimbo will be a "household name."

But first he must be judged by the show's two producers, and if he passes that test, perform in front of the show's biggest stars, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

Eventually, a few of the thousands who audition will be flown to Hollywood for the taping of the show.

He's confident, but not cocky.

"They're not better than me," he said. "I'm good enough."

He's chasing a dream that was detoured in 2005 after he met his wife-to-be on the Internet.

Surgenor, who described himself as "young and in love," married Rebecca on Nov. 12, 2005, and they moved to Wilmington to be closer to her family. Their goals followed opposite paths: He had aspirations to perform; she wanted to settle down and start a family.

He said he still loves his ex-wife, and he called the divorce "all good." He described his life as "an interesting road."

He'll find out this weekend if the next directions lead back home or to Hollywood.

"I have to try," he said. "Like they say, 'If you don't bet you can't win.' "

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