Jan 28, 2021
Through his 16 years as city manager, as well as his time as a councilman and as part of the local business community, John DeStefano represented the true values of public service.
A Brooke County native, his hometown knowledge, along with his financial and sales experience, were valuable tools as he led his Follansbee community.
Through the preservation of Follansbee’s Urban Development Action Grant Fund and establishing a sales tax through West Virginia’s Home Rule program, DeStefano made sure Follansbee remained on good footing financially through recent difficult times, while preserving a variety of city services and investing into the community’s future.
DeStefano
FOLLANSBEE Colleagues, friends and family are mourning the loss of a long-time city leader following the death of John DeStefano.
DeStefano, who was in his 16th year as Follansbee’s city manager, died Monday after battling COVID-19 for several weeks.
A graduate of Brooke High School and West Liberty University, where he earned a degree in business administration and political science, DeStefano had worked as a Prudential insurance agent for 15 years and as a salesman for Banner Fibreboard in Wellsburg for eight years.
He had been the city’s 5th Ward councilman for 16 years when he resigned to take the city manager position.
Staff writer
ECONOMIC GROUP TO GO INDEPENDENT â The Brooke County Commission on Tuesday announced it has severed ties with the countyâs economic development authority, which has made plans to seek status as a nonprofit entity, at the recommendation of the state auditorâs office.
WELLSBURG The Brooke County Commission, during its meeting Tuesday, announced it has severed ties with its economic development authority, which plans to reinvent itself as a separate nonprofit organization.
While offering his blessing to the new group, Commission President A.J. Thomas said the move was made at the recommendation of the state auditor’s office.
For the Intelligencer
FOLLANSBEE –Â Follansbee city council agreed Monday to appoint Follansbee’s water superintendent as interim city manager and to advertise for an engineer to plan upgrades to streetlights along Main Street.
Mayor David Velegol Jr. asked for Water Superintendent Jack McIntosh to be named to the position, citing the recent illness of City Manager John DeStefano and uncertainty about whether DeStefano plans to continue when his current contract is up in August.
Velegol and others noted McIntosh’s experience overseeing the city’s water treatment system and with other systems while serving as a circuit rider for the West Virginia Rural Water Association.
Staff writer
FOLLANSBEE City council agreed Monday to appoint Follansbee’s water superintendent as interim city manager and to advertise for an engineer to plan upgrades to streetlights along Main Street.
Mayor David Velegol Jr. asked for Water Superintendent Jack McIntosh to be named to the position, citing the recent illness of City Manager John DeStefano and uncertainty about whether DeStefano plans to continue when his current contract is up in August.
Velegol and others noted McIntosh’s experience overseeing the city’s water treatment system and with other systems while serving as a circuit rider for the West Virginia Rural Water Association.