SIDNEY — Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler was honored Monday by Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst for his contributions helping to vaccinate local residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Mayor’s Proclamation was presented to Stahler at the local CVS Pharmacy, just as he finished vaccinating local resident Shannon Retterer and just before taking his thirty-minute break for lunch.
“Mayor Stahler spent his career as a licensed pharmacist,” Barhorst said in a press release, “and came out of retirement to assist in vaccinating residents not just in Sidney, but in several communities in the Miami Valley. Monday was his last official day as a pharmacist, and I thought it only proper to honor him for his service.”
“Sidney and Shelby County residents are served every day by dedicated public servants and volunteers, and these individuals supply continuity to our society. Public servants such as Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler willingly came out of retirement to assist Sidney and other communities by providing COVID-19 vaccinations. Mayor Stahler has always been committed to exhibiting the highest standards of excellence, dedication, creativity, efficiency and professionalism,” the proclamation read, in part.
“The effectiveness and efficiency of government and its response to the pandemic depend, in large measure, on individuals like Mayor Stahler, whose task it is to provide service in both the quality and quantity required and expected by the public on a daily basis. In appreciation for Mayor Stahler’s service, I urge residents to express their appreciation to him and the cadre of professionals who have assisted in similar ways during the pandemic,” the proclamation continued.
Barhorst then proclaimed April 26, 2021, as Pharmacist-Mayor Ben Stahler Day in the city of Sidney, “in recognition for Mayor Ben Stahler’s service to the citizens of the City of Sidney and West Central Ohio, as well as in recognition of the importance of the services he has rendered to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as an expression of the community’s gratitude and best wishes.”
“I was truly honored that Mayor Barhorst would take time out of his busy day to honor me with a proclamation,” Stahler said in the release. “While I always have let him know when I’ll be in Sidney, he’s always been tied up with other duties. When he walked up to my vaccination station, I was not only surprised to see him, but truly honored that he would not only recognize my service but recognize my last day as a pharmacist as well.”
“I’ve known Mayor Stahler since he was appointed in 2014 to fill the unexpired term of Bellefontaine’s previous mayor. He was elected in his own right in 2015 and reelected in 2019. He is a dedicated public servant,” Barhorst said.
