‘May you always do the brave thing’: Butcher offers warning, encouragement during final council meeting
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MORGANTOWN - Outgoing 7th Ward Councilor Brian Butcher offered some words of encouragement, and warning, to his successor during his final meeting on Tuesday.
Butcher announced last month that he was stepping away from the seat he's held since July 1, 2021 as his family prepares for a move that will take him out of the 7th Ward, but not out of the city.
A proclamation recognizing Butcher's efforts as a member of city council was read into the record.
"Being in the public eye in this way is hard. You can see that from the outside, and you can know it's going to be hard, but nothing can prepare you for what it's like - for the entire city to know what your address is. And those same people, many of them, to be incredibly interested in the mundane details of your life. It's not something I can prepare you for. You just have to experience it," he said.
Butcher said this reality of public life was hammered home to him when he was seeking a diagnosis for a physical ailment that prevented him from attending council meetings in person for several weeks.
"Nothing could have prepared me for when I was very ill for a couple months, and I missed council meetings. Seeing people celebrate online when I was so sick, and I didn't know if I would ever leave my home again. That hurt a lot. And so those are the kind of things you should be prepared for when you're taking the seat."
On the other hand, he said, the job can be incredibly rewarding.
"The first time you hear a constituent tell you that they appreciate your help, or you're able to advance something that's going to change the city for the better. I think there's no other sense of accomplishment you could ever have that's the same as that," he said.
Butcher thanked his wife for the encouragement to run, and the positive influence demonstrated by former councilor and longtime city volunteer Don Spencer.
"There are personalities and forces in this city, in this county, that will try to influence you and try to further an agenda. And sometimes those are good. And sometimes it's what the city and the public needs and wants. And often they're not," he said. "But what I have to say about that is that all you have to do is be a good person. Let your moral intuition guide you … and you're going to make the right decision."
He continued.
"Others that are going to take this seat are going to do greater things than I could have ever imagined. And to those who come after, I wish you all the best in your endeavors. May you ever seek justice. May you always do the brave thing. And may you have peace in the process at the end of your time as well."
As part of that final meeting, Butcher took part in a closed-door session to review the five applications received from individuals interested in serving out his term, which ends June 30, 2027.
The applicants are Kirsten Nelson, Mimi Wilson, Gail Taylor, Annie Cronan Yorick and Vincent Kang.
Council left that session looking to schedule interviews with some of those individuals.
As of Thursday afternoon, the city would not confirm which applicants were being contacted for interviews.
It is anticipated city council will make its 7th Ward appointment on Sept. 29.