Paul Wesch remembered as fiscal expert, straight shooter

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Friends and family say goodbye to beloved father and city official. Mobile City Finance Director and Chief of Staff Paul Wesch died unexpectedly in a vehicle crash days after Christmas. His memorial service was set for Monday afternoon.

“He was going to shoot you straight, if Paul said it, it was fact,” said former City of Mobile Spokesman George Talbot. Talbot worked alongside Wesch in the first seven years of the Sandy Stimpson administration. Prior to his appointment as finance director, Wesch was part of a city finance review board.

“He was enormously prepared to do this particular job managing city finance and that’s not for everybody, finance is not always the most exciting topic in the world but when you look at where we were as a city versus where we are that’s huge and he deserves credit,” said Talbot. He argues Wesch helped reduce city debt while increasing public projects. While fairly dry in person, Talbot said Wesch was one of a kind.

“He was a lot of fun to be around he loved Alabama football, loved BBQ, he was working on growing oysters he really was a Rennesaince man in that way,” said Talbot.