As Johnny Witherington’s last meeting as a Troy City councilman came to a close, Mayor Jason Reeves offered kind words about the man who wouldn’t allow a formal reception.

“There has been one constant in my 20 years of service, and that’s Johnny Witherington,” Reeves said. “I could not have done what I’ve done without Johnny’s help.”

Reeves talked about how he grew up interested in politics and always heard the phrase “He talks to a lot of people” as something that made a politician good, but Reeves went a step further with Witherington.

“He listens to a lot of people,” Reeves said. “Troy is what it is because of Johnny. He’s been an incredible example for me, not just as a public servant, but also an incredible example for me as a father, husband and brother. The community is so much better off because of him.”

Witherington’s fellow councilmembers Charlie “Sarge” Dunn, Greg Meeks and Marcus Paramore also praised him for his 32 years of dedicated service to the council and the city.

Witherington took his last opportunity to make closing comments to thank everyone that works behind the scenes to make the government run including city employees and residents that voluntarily serve on boards and with organizations that keep the city vibrant.

Witherington said at the beginning of his comments that he was an emotional man that had put emotion aside while in office to conduct himself as professionally as possible. His emotion was clear as he choked up while talking about leaving the city’s employees.

“Saying goodbye to them is very difficult for me,” Witherington said. “They deserve a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation.

“Could you imagine being 40 feet up in the air in a bucket during a hurricane to try to get the power back on? Could you imagine being in a six foot deep trench trying to fix a sewer line” Could you imagine being on the back of a sanitation truck during freezing weather to make sure people’s trash is picked up?”

The meeting was the last of both Dunn’s and Witherington’s time on the council. The new council will take office on November 7.