The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Fort Walton Beach Stake, which includes all of Okaloosa and part of Walton counties, has recognized Crestview Mayor David Cadle's "honorable and faithful service," President Mel Miller said.
On Thursday, the Stake surprised Cadle with a porcelain figurine showing a man and his wife reading to their children. The plaque states, "Mayor David Cadle In Recognition of his service to the community and his Support of Christian Family Values 2014. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Miller presented the figurine to Cadle and praised the mayor during the impromptu ceremony with these remarks:
•"… In behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we present to you this figurine of a man and his wife reading to their children and teaching them the importance of being the kind of people our Heavenly Father would have them be."
•"Mayor Cadle, we want you to know that we love you, we admire you and we respect you, and this is but a small token of our appreciation for your years of honorable and faithful service to the people in this city and the surrounding area."
•"We’ve had your name engraved on this and we want you to take it home with you when you retire, so you can have a constant reminder in your home of the legacy you’ve created here in this beautiful city."
Miller and his wife set roots in Crestview in 1971 after coming here in 1967 and falling in love with the area.
He's watched the area closely in that time, and said Cadle is among those who have "had the most profound positive impact on not only the lives of adults, but on thousands of our youth as well."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LDS church to Crestview mayor: 'We love you, we admire you, we respect you'