After 24 years, residents of Wheeling's 2nd Ward are going to have to find themselves a new city council representative. Here's hoping they locate someone as hard-working and conscientious as the incumbent, Councilman Vernon Seals.
After serving on Wheeling City Council for nearly a quarter-century, Seals said this week he will not file for re-election this spring.
Mayor Andy McKenzie paid tribute to Seals, telling him, "I would never consider you a politician, but a public servant that has always fought for your beliefs and fought for the people you represent." The mayor is right.
While we sometimes disagreed with Seals - who never hesitated to speak up for what he believed was best for his ward - there never was any doubt the councilman was doing what he thought was best for the people he represented.
Hidden agendas were strangers to Seals, who has been up-front about his ideas for progress and his concerns about the city. Hard work has been his trademark.
Enormous changes have occurred in Wheeling and in city government since Seals took a seat on City Council in 1988. But one thing has remained constant: Seals' dedication to his community and, most particularly, to the neighborhoods he represented.
Whomever is chosen to replace Seals will have very large shoes to fill.
