Long before Monday’s Bridgeport City Council meeting, I had a conversation with Julie Perine about the very real possibility that if Mario Blount was going to resign as the city’s mayor, it would likely be that night. And as it turned out, it was. That doesn’t make me Nostradamus as if there was a time to do it during this past week, then that was the time.

 

It was the beginning of a very high profile and bad week not only for Blount, but due to his association as mayor – and now former mayor – it was also the beginning of a very bad week for the city. Yesterday, Blount pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to felony drug charges. In the very near future, he will receive his sentence.

 

For all intents and purposes, the matter that has been the main headline involving Bridgeport for months now is about to go into the rearview mirror. And to be quite honest, it’s time for the city to heal itself from within. Bridgeport has done too much, been too progressive, been too strong (despite those that complain at every move made to maintain what is arguably the top quality of life for any city in West Virginia) to simply let this issue drag itself down.

 

I don’t think the sudden dragging down of the city into the gutter will happen. There are too many good people within the community to allow the city to drag itself down. There are too many folks that care deeply about what goes on in their homes and outside their own doors.

 

From a personal standpoint, this has been among the most troubling things I’ve had to cover. Not only because I’ve known Mario Blount long before I ever came into this capacity, but you could see the divide it was creating among community members.

 

It’s also troubling because despite the fact that our media outlet and every other outlet is often littered with news of drugs and crime, there’s certainly no joy in reporting it. It doesn’t matter if it’s the mayor or someone I’ve never heard of, the constant barrage of drug-related news often leaves me shaking my head. We try to balance that with as much good news and upbeat articles as possible, but drug and crime-related stories are important in letting the community know what’s going on.

 

The problem is that a drug issue is everyone’s issue. If there’s a drug bust in Salem or Weston or Clarksburg it is also Bridgeport’s problem and vice versa. Chief John Walker told me long ago to think that a drug bust in one area of the county hasn’t had an impact in another part of the county or beyond is simply naïve. He’s right.

 

Stories such as this prove one other thing that I’ve preached in the blog is that every part of the drug problem can infiltrate every level of society. Demographics, economics, topography, climate, education – or anything else one can think of – does not impact the reach of the drug tentacles.

 

And just the mere mention of drugs, brings the ire out in so many and for those impacted by the epidemic that surrounds us. When an elected official is involved, it only elevates the matter. Quite frankly, it’s hard not to understand the ire any time drug issues come up.

 

Drugs ruin lives. It might not necessarily be the lives of those taking the drugs, those dealing the drugs or a person who in some way is complicit in the drug culture, but it can damn sure be the family and friends of those who can’t see their way out of the drug darkness that permeates their lives from a source they cannot control. I can tell you it’s impacted me with more than one family member and friend to the point where you eventually have to turn away because there comes a time when you have to stop the collateral damage.

 

Some simply can’t turn away. They crumble in the wake of those they try to help and, eventually, take many they love down with them. Those are the souls to which I hope God has mercy on.

 

In the case involving Bridgeport’s mayor, there were those - and thankfully a small minority - that took joy in the situation. Not so much the fact that Mario Blount was in trouble, but that he was from Bridgeport. I watched it unfold for months on our Web site and related social media outlets with more than one profanity, joy-filled tirade that had to be deleted. It’s sad and it’s equally pathetic. And at the same time, when we reported recent issues involving a member of Clarksburg City Council, more than one person felt the need to post comments such as “typical Clarksburg” and much worse, including several with profanity included that had to go into the cyberspace trash bin.  

 

Seriously? The issues facing our cities are so much larger than the parochial nature of comments that I’ve seen for the last several months that it’s nauseating. How can one portion of our society heal itself when some parts of it take glee at the misfortune of another segment of it? Whether we like it or not, we’re all part of the same community despite the fact that maps show us municipal borders. That’s reality.

 

In the end, it’s time everyone moves on not only from this situation, but from others as well. It’s the right thing to do. At the same time, to simply forget about it would also be wrong. There are lessons to be learned and frank and fair discussions to be had on how issues such as this take place and how to address and potentially stop them in the future.

 

And also in the end, Mario Blount has to make sure he can fix his situation and eventually move on with his life. Like anyone else, elected official or not, I hope some kind of peace can be found for him and, most importantly, I pray for his family and anyone impacted by what he pleaded guilty to yesterday. Whether forgiveness is something you want for him, a second chance or anything else is up to you. I can’t control that and wouldn’t even if I had the God-given ability to do so because forgiveness is a matter of personal choice.

 

What I would control if I could is to let this city put this, as mentioned early, in the rearview mirror. The City of Bridgeport, which never stopped functioning properly and effectively through this whole ordeal, never became what it’s become due to one act. It shouldn’t stop being what it is due to one act.

 

From an outsider who monitors this city daily, it won’t. More importantly, for the good of everyone who calls Bridgeport home, it can’t.