photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood resident’s voice will last forever

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER
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It’s seeing a bicyclist around town, or a lone man sitting at the counter of The Fireplace restaurant, and for a split second thinking maybe it’s him.

The memory of Roger Wiegand is everywhere. His death on April 18 left a void in the lives of many and a question of who would take on the civic duties he voluntarily tasked himself with, like painting the fire boxes in the village or getting officials to fix broken street lights.

Last Friday, at an event attended by dozens of friends, family and public leaders in Village Hall, his contributions were honored with an appropriate marker of his influence, a gold-plated plaque installed on the podium in the council chambers engraved with his strong-held belief: “The public should always have the final word.”

Mayor Paul Aronsohn explained that it was Wiegand’s suggestion to have a public comment session at the end of each council meeting in addition to one at the beginning.

“This room doesn’t feel the same without Roger,” Aronsohn said. “He was such a genuine person who contributed so much to the community.”

The street on which he lived, South Irving, was also affixed with a tribute to his life and renamed Wiegand Way.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Kerry Daley, Wiegand’s niece. “He would have been so mad at all of this … wasting money and time on him.”

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