Serving as an elected official more often than not is a thankless job, but one that can have lasting benefits for the entire community.
South county recently lost two excellent elected officials — one due to term limits and the second at the hands of voters. We believe their fine service over the years to constituents should be recognized.
In Crestwood, Ward 3 Alderman Jerry Miguel attended his final board meeting after serving nine years. Due to term limits imposed in Crestwood’s Charter, Miguel was unable to seek re-election.
Miguel served admirably as alderman during some of the most tumultuous times in the city’s history.
While we didn’t agree with Miguel on every issue during his tenure on the board, we believe his dedication to the city and its residents should be applauded.
In particular, Miguel should be commended for keeping a close eye on the city’s finances. His meticulous attention to detail reaped untold benefits for residents. As one of the board’s most veteran members, his leadership will be sorely missed.
In the Mehlville School District, Venki Palamand, who served two three-year terms on the Board of Education, was unsuccessful in his bid for a third term last month.
Palamand, who served the past two years as board president, did an outstanding job of serving the district and the community.
During his time on the board, Palamand was a voice of reason who, along with Superintendent Eric Knost, helped restore the district’s credibility with the community after a series of disastrous missteps.
In addition, Palamand was instrumental in developing the financing mechanism that allowed construction of the district’s first auditorium — now underway on the Mehlville Senior High School campus.
He also was the driving force behind the installation of solar panels at five district schools — Beasley Elementary, Hagemann Elementary, Bernard Middle, Oakville Senior High and the Witzel Alternative Academy.
Though he was unsuccessful in his re-election bid last month, we applaud Palamand for his courage to seek a third term.
We hope Palamand at some point in the future would consider running again for the school board.
Once again, we commend Miguel and Palamand for their contributions and service to Crestwood and Mehlville School District residents.
