WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — It was an impromptu trip down memory lane for Newswatch 16 photojournalist Michael Erat, as he was met with three former mayors of the city of Wilkes-Barre inside City Hall For a meeting with current Mayor George Brown.
"It really is nice, and it was nice for the four of us to be here together. That's not something we've done before, so it's nice," said Tom McGroarty, mayor from 1996 to 2004.
These four politicians — Mayor George Brown, Anthony George, Tom Leighton, and Tom McGroarty — were gathering for the first time to honor Michael on the week of his retirement.
"Mike, we are here for a special reason. You're an amazing guy, and we've worked closely over the last two and a half years," said Brown. "I really enjoyed working with you. You're a gentleman. You've been very easy to work with. You've had to work with Chelsea, which isn't easy."
These mayors came together to issue a proclamation of congratulations to Michael and a key to the city.
"Mike's been through all king of emergencies we've had over the years, and he's always done the best he could. And you know, he knew the situation we were in. So he's just professional," said McGroarty.
"He was always very professional in the way he dealt with city government and with me in the mayor's office and my staff. He was never once, you know, overbearing or pushy. He had a job to do. We had a job to do, and we tried to accommodate his needs, but again, Mike truly was a great man to work with," added Leighton.
"We're going to miss Mike. We're going to miss Mike because we do miss that professionalism that he is. He's just a born professional, and I'm going to miss him. That's why the other mayors felt the same way. And that's why on the key to the city, it has all four mayor's names on it. Because we all feel the same way about Mike," said Brown.
"Only recently am I becoming aware of the impact that my work along with my reporters, the impact that's all had, and I really appreciate it all," said Michael Erat about the gift.
Michael's last day as a member of the Newswatch 16 team is Wednesday.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.