Rollin Webb, retired Monroe County drain commissioner and fair board member, dies at 90
NEWPORT — Retired Monroe County Drain Commission commissioner, long-time Monroe County Fair Board member and lifelong area farmer Rollin Webb, 90, of Newport, died March 31.
Funeral services are planned for Saturday.
Webb was elected Monroe County drain commissioner for three consecutive terms, serving a total of 12 years before retiring in 2006.
"He was a great man. I considered him to be a very good friend," said David Thompson, current Monroe County drain commissioner. "He hired me. He was a great guy to work for; very fair and very honest. I will miss him."
In 1959, at age 25, Webb joined the Monroe County Fair Board. He served for 57 years, until 2016. He held several offices and is the longest-serving member of the board. Webb received the fair's Meritorious Service Award, according to his obituary.
"It was a long ride and I've seen a lot of changes,' Webb told The Monroe News when he retired from the board. 'The Monroe County Fair came from nowhere to being Michigan's finest. When we started going to conventions, people didn't know where Monroe was. Now they do.'
"I was grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Rollin during the beginning of my career here at the Monroe County Fair,' said Darryl Diamond, fair manager. 'Rollin was a dedicated and knowledgeable board member for many decades. We were all blessed to know him. We have lost a true friend of the Monroe County Fair."
Previous Coverage: Webb to retire from Monroe County fair board
A 1952 graduate of Monroe High School, Webb earned a degree in agriculture, specializing in poultry, from Michigan State University.
A lifelong Newport farmer, he raised cash crops and livestock, according to his obituary. He was a member of the Monroe County Farm Bureau, Blissfield Growers and Michigan Soybean Associations. Webb also volunteered as a 4-H leader and Cubmaster of Troop 97. He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, where he served as an elder and usher.
Support local news: Subscribe for all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.
Webb is survived by his wife of almost 70 years, Mary, four sons, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Friends may call from 2-8 p.m. April 4 at Bacarella Funeral Home in Monroe. He will lie in state at noon April 5 at Grace Lutheran Church in Monroe, with the funeral beginning at 1 p.m.
Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.bacarellafuneralhome.com.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: The late Rollin Webb was a drain commissioner, fair board member
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
The Monroe News celebrates 200 years
MONROE — The Monroe News turns 200-years-old on June 3, 2025. The first issue of what would become today's Monroe News was published Friday, June 3, 1825, according to the Library of Congress. Back then, the paper was called The Michigan Sentinel, and it came out weekly. The four-page paper cost 5 cents a copy. The Michigan Sentinel reported on a time when Toledo wasn't yet a city and mail arrived twice a week by pony carrier, according to Monroe News archives. Monroe's namesake, President James Monroe, was the U.S. president in 1825. The Monroe County Museum will soon open a Monroe News bicentennial exhibit at its museum, 126 S. Monroe St. in Monroe, and at this summer's 2025 Monroe County Fair, said the museum's Lynn Reaume. In 200 years, the local newspaper went from a weekly to a daily publication and it had several name changes. It all began with Editor Edward D. Ellis, who also is the namesake of the Monroe County Library System's Ellis Library & Reference Center. Ellis advocated for the use of penal fines to create and maintain public libraries. Ellis came to Monroe from Buffalo, New York and brought his printing presses with him. He served as the Monroe paper's editor, reporter, printer and pressman. He was a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention and helped write the state's constitution, according to Monroe News archives. After Ellis left the area, the Morton family took over ownership of the paper, then called The Monroe Times. Morton family member J. Sterling Morton of Monroe established the first Arbor Day. Previous Coverage: April 25 is Arbor Day. Did you know it was started by a former Monroe man? Some of the former names of the paper included: The Monroe Advocate, The Monroe Commercial, The Monroe Democrat, The Monroe Record and The Monroe Record-Commercial. The News' former longtime office on West First Street in downtown Monroe was built in 1910 for The Monroe Democrat. The Monroe Evening News name began in 1918. Like the publication's name, technology also changed through the years. Ellis used a hot-metal letterpress. Later came typewriters, type-setting machines and linotype machines. News from around the world once came to the local office through Associated Press teletype machines. By 1975, The Monroe Evening News was already starting to use computers. 'We wish that Edward Ellis were here to view the Monroe County, the Michigan and the U.S. of today, the growth, the change and mechanical evolution that a century and a half have wrought," said a story in The News' 1975's, 150th anniversary special section. "In the 10 years from 1965-75, a printing revolution has taken place. From a time when virtually every newspaper printed used technology virtually unchanged since the invention of the linotype machine, the time has arrived when virtually every newspaper has either already converted its production process to photocomposition or is in the process of doing it." More milestones for the newspaper followed. After years of publishing six days a week, the first Sunday paper was published April 9, 1989. The News' website, debuted in 1996. A major change occurred in 1998, when the 1924 and '32 printing presses were retired. The large rolling presses were a longtime common sight around lunchtime at The Monroe News' former downtown Monroe building. At full speed, the presses could print 24,000 papers an hour. Replacing the old presses were new, full-color presses. They were installed in a facility on Monroe's Huber Drive. The first full-color issue of The Monroe Evening News was published Sept. 14, 1998. The Monroe News became the paper's official name on Sept. 1, 2013. 'Evening' was dropped because the paper had started morning delivery. But, the name change also signified a new direction in news reporting. 'We have dropped the word 'evening,' completing the move that has been a long time coming. When accompanied by our website, social media and digital offerings, the news we provide simply isn't tied to a specific time of day — or night — anymore,' said then editor Deborah Saul. Previous Coverage: 14K historic local newspaper pages now online Previous Coverage: Preserving Monroe County's record In 2000, The Monroe News' 175 anniversary was celebrated with a community open house, attended by 800 people. In 2000, staff photographers were still shooting 300 rolls of film a week. Today, all photography is digital. Monroe News' other print products through recent years have included: CoverStory, Prime Times, User's Guide, Saving Sense, Homes Plus, Bedford Now and several pictorial books on local history. Support local news: Subscribe for all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content. Today, The Monroe News' office is at 23 E. Front St., Suite 103 in downtown Monroe. Printed papers are produced six days a week; the Saturday paper is an electronic only edition. News is updated daily online at and The Monroe News Facebook page. — Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@ This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Happy 200th anniversary, Monroe News
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Worcester activist critical of city manager faces one-year city hall ban
A Worcester resident and activist has been banned from using city hall for one year, according to a letter from City Manager Eric D. Batista. On May 27, Batista issued a no-trespassing order to David Webb, a Worcester resident who has been a frequent critic of Batista's administration — accusing the city manager and his staff of not being transparent or truthful to the city's residents. The full letter can be read at the end of this story. In his no-trespassing order, Batista writes that Webb has approached employees both inside city hall itself and non-public workspaces in an 'intrusive and aggressive manner.' Webb says he plans to sue the city for this decision but he intends to comply with the order for now — saying that he will be arrested if he does not. The order reads that Webb engaged in behavior towards City Hall employees that Batista deems inappropriate — such as following them with a camera and phone 'inches away from their faces asking them for comments,' and jumping in front of an employee's vehicle, prohibiting them from moving and exiting the garage while 'shouting at them and recording the employee and their vehicle.' Webb pushed back on Batista's claims, saying that he did not record his camera inches from people's faces and said he did not jump in front of a vehicle. I was walking on the sidewalk and the city solicitor was exiting and I started recording — did not jump,' Webb said. Batista also wrote that over the past 12 months, Webb sent 502 emails to the city solicitor, 478 emails to Batista's chief of staff, 370 emails to the city clerk, 209 emails to the deputy city clerk, 1,071 to the public records access officer and 912 emails to the assistant city solicitor. He said that this 'barrage' of emails has made employees feel uneasy and fearful and has severely hindered them from doing their jobs. 'The direct contact, blind copying, and copying of several employees on most matters has become harassment and is severely hindering the ability of city employees to provide efficient services and perform job duties,' Batista wrote. For one year, Webb is barred from being inside City Hall, its offices and in areas next to the building, such as the garage, porticos, entryways, paths of the front and rear plazas and sidewalks, according to the letter. The letter reads that Webb must also send emails to the department's general email that are intended for inquiries. On numerous occasions, Webb has spoken out against both Batista and the city council, whether it's during the public comment period of a city council meeting or, more recently, at Batista's State of the City address, where he continuously shouted over the city manager until four Worcester police officers instructed him to leave. Webb told MassLive he believes the city manager is not transparent and that he is lying to the people of Worcester. 'The city manager serves to manage our image and cash flow rather than functionality as a municipality, and only having part-time representatives means that it's pretty much exclusively landlords, business owners and lawyers rather than the people this city needs to actually serve,' Webb said. Even though he is banned from City Hall, Webb still plans on being involved in Worcester politics. 'I'm going to make a video each afternoon before the council to help people know what's going on and do a Q&A about Worcester politics with people who want to get involved,' he said. 'Those who can't do, teach.' Full letter is below. If you can't read it, click here. Worcester restaurant serving food from Ghana seized by state due to unpaid taxes Worcester father of 4-month-old deported after ICE 'violated his rights,' attorney says Mass. Hidden Gems: Comfy classics and a mystery menu at Peppercorn's Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
In Our View: Sen. Webb switcheroo
State Sen. Robin Webb finally made the switch from being a Democrat to a Republican. Not many political watchers are surprised by her move. Her switch is likely more about political survival than policy changes. Webb's press release said, in part, 'I didn't leave the Democratic Party, they left me.' Ronald Reagan was the first to use that line and countless others have used it since. It has been a talking point for switchers for decades in both parties. The Kentucky Senate doesn't have any members who are Democrats and live in rural areas. She is up for reelection next year and it would be an uphill battle running as a Democrat. However, switching parties is not without risk. She could have an opponent in a primary who would run to the right of her. A party leader could promise a member that if they change parties, they would clear the field — meaning there will be no primary opposition. But a party leader can't do that. They could try, but today's Republican party in Kentucky is very conservative. Any conservative Republican could run against her on her voting record from years ago. Political advisors who manage campaigns are experts at dredging up past history. Her most recent voting history has been with Republicans. More often than not, she has voted with Republicans on key issues. Up until last week, she was the most Republican-like Democratic senator in Frankfort. Webb has been in the Senate since 2009. Prior to that, she was in the state House of Representatives. There will almost certainly be a potential conservative candidate combing over her voting record. Webb has not been on a fundraising binge. According to online financial documents, she has about $31,000 in her campaign fund. She has not been actively raising funds. Having $31,000 on hand is not a lot of money for running a Senate campaign. She had no opposition in 2022, her last election. Webb represents the 18th District. That includes all of Boyd, Carter, Greenup and Lewis Counties. The district has 51% of the voters who are Republican and 38% are Democrats. The rest are listed as Independent or other. The population is about 150,000. If Democrats want to run a candidate, they need to move fast. The filing deadline to run is in January of next year. Popular Gov. Andy Beshear is the only statewide-elected Democrat. He's won his last three elections. Webb knows her district well. She's watched the Boyd and Greenup County courthouses go to almost all Republican office holders. That could have weighed in her decision.
