Many thanks to Brady, Murray

Editor's note: Each year, the Register's editorial board nominates a Person of the Year. This year, the board selected longtime Sandusky city commissioners Dick Brady and Dennis Murray Jr. Both men are leaving office due to term limits. A story on their accomplishments published in Wednesday's edition of the Register along with columns written by both men. Present-day editorial board members were not here in Sandusky during the city's "bleak period," but we've heard plenty about it — businesses leaving, storefronts shuttering, city finances struggling and city officials bickering where it resulted in essentially no measurable progress. Perhaps the few of us are fortunate to only know Sandusky as the vibrant, high-profile, small-town community that we know it is today. It'd be disingenuous to say that only two people were responsible for righting the ship and improving Sandusky's status — many deserve credit for that — but, unquestionably, Dick Brady and Dennis Murray Jr. were prime architects of the city's revitalization. Their achievements over their long tenures in city government are many, but most notably, they: • Approved a Cedar Point admissions tax paid by park visitors, which generates $5 million for the city annually; • Pursued and completed the renovation of Jackson Street Pier, which has become the anchor point for so many notable events each year; • Helped foster a spirit of professionalism and collaboration and good governance that made those and other accomplishments possible. Brady, a Republican, and Murray, a Democrat, both proved what we know to be true — that partisanship plays little to no role in local politics and that those chosen to represent their peers and neighbors must work together for the good of the community, regardless of political affiliation. We've greatly appreciated their leadership and candor over the years. They truly understood what it means to be public servants — and as former Sandusky police chief and current city manager John Orzech put it, were always just a phone call away if help was needed. That's been the case for us at the newspaper as well. Over the years they've been in office, both men have always been upfront and accessible to our reporters and editors, able to field both the easy and the difficult questions that a public official is sure to receive from us at some point or another. New leaders will now emerge on Sandusky's city commission, and we hope they will embody the same spirit and attitude that made Brady and Murray great public servants. Editorial board