ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Joe Weddle was the newest member of Pulaski Town Council when the governing body met Tuesday night, but that will soon change.
Vice Mayor W.H. "Rocky" Schrader Jr. announced his resignation from council by letter, effective immediately.
"Due to new opportunities and responsibilities in my work, it is becoming increasingly difficult to devote the time that is necessary to serve the town well," he said. "I felt several months ago that I should resign but decided to wait, due to the mayor's health, but now that an excellent new mayor has been appointed, I think the time is right."
Schrader works in a management job at Hudson Chevrolet Corp. in Pulaski.
It was the resignation of Mayor Andy Graham last month for health reasons that started the series of local government vacancies.
Council appointed member John Johnston as the new mayor, leaving his seat vacant. Joe Weddle, a longtime member of the town's Planning Commission, was recently appointed to Johnson's seat and attended his first meeting Tuesday.
Now Schrader, who has served on council for 101/2 years, has left another vacancy which must be filled within 45 days. In the other instances, council filled the vacancies much more quickly than that.
This one may take a little longer. It is not even scheduled to be discussed until after council's next regular meeting March 4, by the Human Resources Committee in closed session. The committee may discuss who to name as the new vice mayor at that time, committee Chairman Eddie Hale said.
Hale said he was glad to see that Schrader had concluded his letter of resignation by saying "I hope that sometime in the future I will be able to serve the town of Pulaski again."
"His loss will be one that we'll all feel," Johnston said, especially on the Finance Committee which Schrader chaired and which worked on annual town budgets. "Rocky worked with that for several years," Johnston said.
The mayor welcomed Weddle, who is chief of American Electric Power's Pulaski Division, to the council.
"Mayor, do we take all of our lighting problems to him?" asked Councilwoman Bettye Steger.
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