This week, Lawrence County honored two officials for their decades of public service.

On Saturday, family, friends and colleagues surprised Lawrence County Emergency Services Director Buddy Fry with a party to honor him before he steps down on Dec. 16.

Fry has worked in EMS for 45 years, beginning with Southeast Ohio EMS, and then Lawrence County EMS from 2010 until the present.

Fry has coordinated emergency workers throughout the county and has brought innovation to the line of work.

He leaves office after seeing voters approve a property tax levy on the general election ballot, securing future funding for the agency.

Fry was also honored at Thursday’s meeting of the Lawrence County Commission.

On Monday, Chesapeake and local officials paid tribute to council member Paul Hart, who concluded 31 years on the village’s council on Monday.

Hart, a local businessman who is one of the more outspoken local officials in the county, has been in office as Chesapeake repaired roads, took on sewer projects and completed many other infrastructure projects.

Hart summed up his approach to government as being more of a thermostat, than a thermometer. He said he wants to be someone who does not just take the temperature, but is able to change it.

We want to thank and congratulate Fry and Hart for their lifetime of service to our region.