Trending
One of the guiding lights in our city over the past half-century has been John "Jack" Fahey. On Tuesday, Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott honored the 93-year-old city resident by naming him as the 2202 recipient of the City of Wheeling Gateway Award.
Fahey began a 30-year career in public service in 1971 when he was elected to Wheeling City Council. He was appointed mayor upon his re-election in 1975, and during his term he advocated for a city charter review and also for flood-control dams along Wheeling Creek.
That work on the Wheeling Creek Watershed project continued during his 12 years as a member of the Ohio County Commission, ending when the last of seven flood-control dams was completed in the mid-1990s.
Fahey also served a term as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and was active on boards including the Bel-O-Mar Regional Council, the former Ohio Valley Industrial and Business Development Corp. and the Wheeling Hall of Fame committee.
Fahey was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame Class of 2011, one of four city mayors to earn that distinction.
He joins a worthy list of past recipients of the Gateway Award: former mayors Jack Lipphardt and Nick Sparachane; former city council members Barry Crow and Mike Nau; and former Wheeling Heritage Executive Director Hydie Friend.
Elliott said Fahey was his own man on council, often voting against the majority.
"… Indeed, he was famously the lone nay vote in many recorded 8-1 votes during his time in office," Elliott said. "When asked about this by The Intelligencer, he said: 'I've been my own person. I hope I haven't made too many enemies, but I tried to vote my conscience. I never voted for something just because someone else was a fast talker.'"
Indeed. Congratulations, Mayor Fahey, on well-deserved recognition.