It’s taken me quite a while to even attempt to express my feelings of Jack McHugh stepping aside from public office. I would not have considered making my own commitment if Jack’s love of our community and dedication to it was not so inspiring. Public office on a national scale and here in our own town is not an environment, most would agree, that rewards sincerity and humility. Names are not made by those that put their shoulder, day in and day out, to the work of those they represent. Maybe politics can be disappointing to so many because we recognize it’s a stage where braggarts, showman, snake oil salesmen, manipulators, and flat out liars play out a sick and desiesed ballet, in the name of our common good, and walk away with all the gate receipts.
Integrity is so rare in our personal lives, it’s absolutely astounding to find it amid the tempest of politics, but there he is, and I have no doubt will continue to be involved any way he can. An honorable man like Jack cannot resist the call of his community, it’s just in his DNA.
Jack also attracts like-minded people and inspires them to do their best. There is a movement just beginning to take shape, that Jack deserves so much credit for. Jack has re-ignited a call to service that brought an end to the status quo, the common acceptance that the elite social circles that have run our town for the last 30 years would always be calling the shots. Thanks to Jack and the people he has inspired we are cutting a new path for Point Pleasant.
“Yesterday, I withdrew my name from the ballot for re-election to Point Pleasant Council.
This was an extremely difficult decision for me, and one I did not make lightly, or hastily.While my time on council has been both challenging and rewarding, in the end, I needed to weigh other considerations before committing to potentially three more years on council.
As some of you know, my career is that of a real estate broker. It will come as a surprise to no one that the real estate business has been extremely challenging these past three years. My clients and staff have been more than gracious and understanding of the constraints on my time and attention. I just feel the time has come to reward their patience with my complete attention to their success.
While I am confident this is the right decision at this time, it is not without some regret. Foremost among these is that I will not be at Chris Leitner’s side throughout this campaign. Since the start of our campaign in 2008, and to this very day, my affection and admiration for this man continues to grow. I only hope that the citizens of Point Pleasant truly understand the gift they have in Chris.Politics aside, he is simply the most dedicated and conscientious public servant I have ever met. And I will work vigorously to assure his reelection.
Secondly, while I feel we’ve accomplished much in my term on council, much work remains. At our opening meeting in January, I said that I would consider this year a success “if we righted the ship, set a new course, our sails were full and we were on our way to better days”. I feel that this council, under the strong leadership of Mayor Schroeder, can proudly say that we have lived up to that goal. But simply pointing in the right direction is not enough. It will still take much effort to keep from drifting off course.
That is why I am so grateful that Brian Welch has agreed to step into my place on the ballot. His energy and ideas along with Chris Leitner’s intellect and experience are a necessity to avoid a return to the turbulent waters we so recently found ourselves in.
When Chris and I began our campaign in 2008, we used the phrase “Believe in a Better Point Pleasant.” I can tell you that I always have and always will believe. I believe that the goodness of our people should be reflected in their government, I believe that there is reason why so many want to call Point Pleasant their home, I believe that we are more than the sum of our parts, and that is why it has been such an honor to serve this community I love so much.
And so it is to the citizens of this town that I reserve my most sincere thanks. I am painfully aware that I will never be able to repay all that this community has given me and my family. It has been the honor and privilege of my life to have had the opportunity, in some small way, to make a down payment on that debt.”
JACK McHUGH
COUNCIL PRESIDENT
BOROUGH OF POINT PLEASANT
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