Thorne reflects on 24 years as city councilman

PARKERSBURG- If you’ve got a question about Parkersburg, there’s a good chance Leon Thorne has the answer.

Thorne attended his final meeting as a city councilman last week after serving 24 uninterrupted years, and the Parkersburg native and former owner of the Eclipse News-Review looked back on his tenure in an interview with—you guessed it—the Eclipse News-Review.

“There’s probably lots of council members that served in some difficult times, but I’d have a hard time finding a council member that served in times like Leon, with the tornado and just everything that occurred in Parkersburg,” City Administrator Chris Luhring said. “With growth, there are a lot of challenges, and Leon served better than I can imagine anyone serving.”

It all started during a discussion with Bob Haylock and Harlan Johnson after a fireman’s meeting in the summer of 1995, when the then-councilmen suggested that he run to fill a vacancy. Thorne thought it over, consulted with his wife Becky and decided to take the pledge. He won one of the two seats available against two other candidates, and the rest is history: in 24 years, he never missed a regular meeting and served as Mayor Pro Tempore for several of them.

“I’d attended meetings, but as far as the nuts and bolts of how the city ran and stuff, I really didn’t know a lot,” he said. “It was an eye opener. It was a learning experience.”

For the full story, see the Dec. 11 Eclipse News-Review. Subscribe by calling 319-346-1461 or by clicking here.