Fairmont, West Virginia, City Council proclaims Russell Yann Day, unveils OpenGov website

“Russell began his career at the legendary Yann’s Hot Dog Stand at the end of the High Level Bridge when he was helping his father with his duties,” Fairmont Mayor Tom Mainella said in presenting the proclamation. “He continued working until March 2020. While Russell was known to many as the ‘Hot Dog Nazi’ because of his no-ketchup rule, he loved his customers and looked forward to every day at work. …

“Over the years, he supported many athletic teams and made sure they were fed, no matter where they played or traveled. Russell shared his dry wit and generosity and work ethic with the people of Fairmont and others both far and wide.”

In recognition of Yann’s legacy and reputation in The Friendly City and his love for his business, Mainella proclaimed Wednesday to be Russell Yann Day.

“Yann’s Hot Dogs fame spread throughout not only throughout West Virginia, but throughout the world,” Mainella said. “Russell’s longevity as a downtown merchant will always be remembered by all of his loyal customers who supported him over the years. He will also be remembered for his generous contributions to the community. …

“The City of Fairmont joins his multitude of friends in expressing sympathy to his family and loved ones. He was a legend in his own right and truly one of a kind.”

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, City Council welcomed West Virginia Auditor J.B. McCuskey for a presentation on the city’s new OpenGov website, which he explained will greatly increase financial transparency.

“In our office, one of our great challenges is that we have … about 2,000 audits to do, and what ends up happening is our smallest cities end up falling behind,” McCuskey said. “We needed to figure out a way, without increasing the size of our office or the expense of our office, how we can streamline our audit process and make it easier for cities to get their numbers and budgets and financial statements to us while at the same time increasing transparency in government. … What we believe is that if the citizens feel like they own their government or have a part in it, there’s a distrust that can be alleviated.”

McCuskey said Fairmont is one of the auditor’s office’s greatest partners in the OpenGov program, adding that the website is free and its open availability is a win-win for everyone involved — from the auditor’s office to city council and employees to residents.

“The citizens of Fairmont will basically have unlimited access to all of our public financial information in real time,” McCuskey said.

“What it also means is that the mayor and all of you council folks will have unlimited, real-time access to your books. … Our [current] financial systems are not designed to provide data or information to decision-makers. … What that then creates is a vacuum of understanding of what your numbers are. You guys are making real-time decisions, and coronavirus gave us a real window into this. We need to know what’s going in right now to make decisions that need to be made right now, so what this website will do is give you that ability,” he said.

Residents can view a full breakdown of the city’s latest fiscal status at www.fairmontwv.opengov.com.