Craig Howell NOMINATION WITHDRAWN – Mayor Dean Harris, center, announced during Monday’s meeting of Weirton Council a nominee for the Weirton Area Water Board had withdrawn his candidacy following comments on social media over the weekend. Also pictured are City Manager Mike Adams, left, and Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead.

WEIRTON — A nomination for a seat on the Weirton Area Water Board was pulled from the agenda of Monday’s City Council meeting after the candidate decided to withdraw from consideration over the weekend.

Among Monday’s business items set to be considered by City Council was the appointment of Lawrence Wright to the Weirton Area Water Board. When time came to consider the resolution, however, Mayor Dean Harris announced Wright had asked for the consideration to be pulled.

According to Harris, the decision followed social media posts over the weekend that focused on Wright’s employment at Form Energy as well as safety concerns.

“It’s disappointing to me,” Harris said, adding he feels Wright would have been a good fit with the Water Board, and his interest is what he looks for in finding those wishing to serve.

Wright, according to the mayor, is a graduate of Weirton Madonna High School, earned a master’s degree from Indiana University and has worked in five other states before returning to the area for an opportunity to work and raise his family in his hometown.

Harris called Wright “highly educated and qualified.”

“It has nothing to do with his employment,” Harris said. “It has more to do with his education and what he can add to the quality of the board.”

Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead also spoke on the matter, saying while he supports freedom of speech, it also has to be responsible speech.

“I find the behavior of some people in the community reprehensible,” Stead said, encouraging residents to take the time to vet the information they see on social media and not just take hearsay as fact. “We had a good opportunity to have a good person on the board.”

Wright’s appointment would have been for the seat currently held by George Ash, according to Utilities Director A.D. “Butch” Mastrantoni. The Weirton Area Water Board’s website notes Ash’s term on the board is set to expire May 31.

Weirton Council did make some appointments Monday, approving the reappointments of Rudy McAllister, Emily McCoy and Joseph Paolo Jr. to the city’s Housing Authority.