At the beginning of the Ironton City Council meeting on Thursday, there was a moment of silence to mark the passing of Councilman Dave Frazer earlier Thursday. It wasn’t until the meeting that Frazer’s passing was announced.
Frazer has been on the city council since 2010 and was known for his involvement in local sports and the community.
Vice Mayor Craig Harvey said he knew Frazer from sports long before they were both on council.
“He’s always been the same guy,” he said. “He tells you exactly what he thinks and he doesn’t waver. I always appreciated that about Dave. There are very few of those people left in the world.”
Harvey said council wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining without Frazer.
“He brought levity and that will be missed,” he said. “Because, oftentimes, we take ourselves too seriously. Dave brought levity and I appreciated that.”
Frazer and Bob Cleary were neighbors in the Council chambers.
“He sat beside me for years,” Cleary said. “He was a strong councilman. He would sit and study the legislation. I hate losing him, not just as a council member.”
Cleary said the two would often talk for an hour or two, sometimes before council meetings.
“He was a dedicated council member, he was dedicated to the citizens,” he said. “It’s a sad day with him passing, we will miss him.”
In what could be considered fate, Frazer’s name was on a piece of legislation before the council at the meeting.
“His name is on the fire fee ordinance that we just amended, his name is on the original legislation,” Harvey said. “He was as one of the original sponsors. Isn’t that ironic we did that tonight?”
Funeral arrangements for Frazer had not been announced as of press time.
Harvey said that someone would be appointed by council members to fill Frazer’s council seat at a later date.
Under the city’s charter Article II, it states a vacancy on the council shall be filled within 30 days by a majority vote of the Council members to fill the unexpired term. If that doesn’t happen within that time, the mayor can make the appointment.