The Crestwood Board of Aldermen recently lost two strong proponents of transparency.

Paul Duchild, who served two terms on the board, stepped down April 28 after deciding not to seek election to a third term.

Duchild, who first was elected in 2009, ran on a platform of increasing transparency in city government and improving fiscal accountability.

During his tenure, we never saw Duchild waver from these goals.

In fact, he was one of the first proponents of recording Board of Aldermen meetings and placing the audio from those meetings on the city’s website. Duchild also was instrumental in having the city’s accounts payable, or AP, reports posted to the website.

We believe that Ward 3 citizens and residents citywide benefited immensely from Duchild’s six years of service on the board.

Ward 4 Alderman Mike Tsichlis, who was elected to the board in 2013, announced last week he was resigning because he and his family had sold their house and moved from the city.

Tsichlis said his family decided that after living in their two-story house in Crestwood for nearly 19 years, they wanted to move into a one-story home, preferably in the city.

While their home sold in no time, they quickly discovered how difficult it is to purchase a home in Lindbergh Schools, and were outbid when making a couple of offers on homes.

Though Tsichlis said his family has “temporarily” relocated outside of the city, he hopes to return to Crestwood in the future.

Like Duchild, Tsichlis was a champion of transparency during his tenure. In fact, he voted against the board entering closed sessions on March 31 and May 5 because he believed a public discussion of the issues would be more appropriate.

Tsichlis also was a strong advocate of public participation in city affairs.

When he announced his resignation last week, Tsichlis also pointed out the need for language in the city Charter to be amended, noting that even though he had moved out of the city, a strong case could be made that he still met the required qualifications to continue to serve.

He suggested the Charter Review Commission address the issue.

During his two years on the board, Tsichlis held true to the principles on which he campaigned for office.

We believe Duchild and Tsichlis served the city and their constituents admirably and applaud them for their exemplary community service.