It is hard sometimes to quantify impact. Sometimes you just do not know if you left a place better than when you got there.

 

While it is not an exact way to measure success, sometimes dollar bills are a good way to look at things. A case in point may be the soon-to-be-departed duo of Robert “Bob” Greer and Dustin Vincent.

 

Most of you know the pair will be sitting at their final Bridgeport City Council meeting June 28. Both opted not to run for re-election to the city’s governing body.

 

Greer has served on Council since 2009 in every capacity, while Vincent is four years later starting in 2013 and serving two terms as a Council member. This Monday, June 28, other than a potential special meeting, ribbon cutting, or some other function prior to July 1, the pair will be stepping down.

 

Was their time successful? You can make that call, but allow me to give you the dollars and cents performance as provided by Bridgeport Finance Director Monica Musgrave.

 

The original 2009-10 Fiscal Year budget was $12,211,476. The budget that was just submitted to the state for FY 2021-21 is $18,437,654.

 

I am not going to do the math, but the numbers are up more than $6 million from Greer’s start and the time Vincent joined in four years later. And while neither seem to be wanting to take credit for it, they both believe they know why the numbers are as they are.

 

“I cannot take credit for the financial situation before I got there; none of us can,” said Vincent. “What we can be proud of is we carried on the tradition of doing things right and correct. I think others in the state can learn from how we do our finances and the responsibility we feel toward those finance. It works.”

 

Greer sounded off in similar fashion.

 

“Those numbers are the result of good planning and professional management of the assets we’re charged with taking care of and utilizing those assets  correctly. That was a tradition in place before I got here, and I firmly believe future Councils will continue the tradition,” said Greer. “Bridgeport is unique with how well its finances work. As the best that I am aware of, we’re the only city in the state operating without debt.”

 

For those pointing to The Bridge, it does have debt. However, it is not funded out of the general fund budget. That situation alone with no general fund debt makes Bridgeport an anomaly, even if there is some items Greer was not aware of, in West Virginia.

 

Greer himself is an anomaly. It appears – and again this is not a certainty – Greer is the holder of perhaps the only political trifecta in city history. And if not, he is the only one in the modern era.

 

He has served Bridgeport as a Council member, the city recorder, and as mayor. Greer ran for Council in 2009 and ran again the year Mario Blount, who was recorder, ran for mayor. When elected, the recorder’s seat was open. Members of Council at that time asked Greer to serve as recorder.

 

When Blount got into trouble as mayor and the seat became vacant, his peers again asked Greer to step up, and again he did. This time, to serve roughly half of Blount’s term.

 

“I was flattered and honored at the time to be selected from the group to first fill the recorder’s role and then the mayor’s role,” said Greer. “The mayor’s role entails more than a few meetings a month, but I was honored to serve in that capacity and glad to step back after serving and return to a Council position for the final four years.”

 

Greer said so much has taken place during the dozen years he has been on board. He said it was not always the big things either that made a difference.

 

“You can see the residential and commercial growth and you’re proud to see it, but dealing with a stoplight issue, seeing the Veteran’s Memorial, watching sidewalks along Main Street be upgraded, and handling all issues before us were important,” said Greer.

 

Not surprisingly, the biggest thing during Greer’s term was an easy one – The Bridge.

 

“It was just a dream when I started. The idea was there, and seeds planted by our predecessors who listened to their constituents and allowed us to carry it forward to what you will see (at today’s grand opening),” said Greer.

 

The early seeds were simple ones. Past governing bodies knew there was a need for indoor gym space. The idea evolved and evolved into a project likely well north of $50 million, when Bridgeport became a Home Rule city, and a revenue stream was created through a 1 percent sales tax to fund construction and operations of the facility.

 

“I’ve been fortunate to be involved with this on the initial committee that reviewed the feasibility and seeing it through to the end with the grand opening,” said Greer. “It’s proven to be a heavy lift, even heavier than most of us anticipated during our strategic planning committee meetings. But for most it is a highlight to this community and the burden is worth it.”

 

Vincent, not so coincidentally, points to The Bridge as a highlight as well.

 

“It’s hard for that not to be a highlight,” said Vincent, who also talked about upgrades to the city’s trail system as a big plus during his tenure.

 

Vincent, however, is also thrilled with how the city, through Home Rule as well, has been able to assist city schools. His interest in getting on Council stemmed from serving on the Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan for the Harrison County Board of Education and serving as a youth coach and on a youth sports board.

 

“I saw a need for someone to represent that age group, and that led me to run,” said Vincent. “At the time, we were still trying to get improvement at Simpson Elementary and construct a new Johnson Elementary. I’m pleased those things happened, but Simpson still needs a free-standing gymnasium. I’m hopeful if the opportunity arises for the city to help with a project in the future they will. I’m confident that will be given all consideration.”

 

Perhaps the biggest thing the pair agreed upon is what really makes Council click and the city move forward. And that is the ability to work together.

 

While many votes are unanimous, not all are. At times, there have been differences on difficult matters. The difference between Bridgeport and other governing bodies is that no one takes it personal on a disagreement.

 

“That’s what made serving eight years the most enjoyable was the professionalism. During my time, everyone respected one another and their opinion and, even when there were disagreements, everyone opinion was heard,” said Vincent. “Once it was over and Council spoke as a whole, the entire Council was on board to move whatever decision that was made forward.”

 

Greer echoed that.

 

“I’m going to miss the camaraderie of Council as well as staff I’ve worked with at the city. We disagreed from time to time on issues as members of council on some significant issues but whether it was someone disagreeing with myself or others, it was always worked out,” said Greer. “In Bridgeport if something needs talked out then it gets talked out. In the end, that’s allowed us to do some amazing things. The way we deal with things is an anomaly, and one I think the entire board should be proud of.”

 

As for no longer meeting twice a month on Mondays and other special meetings, Greer and Vincent again sounded the same when talking about their new “free time.”

 

“I guess it would be nice to have a Monday night free again until my wife figures out what she’ll fill in the time slot,” said Greer.

 

Vincent added, “It won’t take long before my wife will find something for me to do.”

 

To lessen the impact on those statements, both were said with a laugh. It is only fair both men go off into the sunset as safely as possible.

 

Best wishes to Council members Greer and Vincent. Thanks for always returning my calls, and thanks for serving Bridgeport and leaving it better than when you found it – which is no easy task.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo show Dustin Vincent, left, and Robert "Bob" Greer prior to their next-to-last meeting on Council. In the second photo, by Ben Queen Photography, Greer is shown on a tour of The Bridge, while Vincent is shown in the next photo with former City Manager Kim Haws at the groundbreaking. In the fourth photo, Vincent is shown at the height of the COVID pandemic taking part in a Council meeting, while the next photo shows Greer and Vincent during a work session prior to a meeting. In the bottom photo, Greer is shown at a Bridgeport Planning Commission meeting.