It is with a sad heart that we report that beloved Menifee City Councilman Wallace Edgerton, whose medical condition we’ve been covering for months, has passed away at the age of 81.
Edgerton passed away on Tuesday, May 26 after a long battle with complications sustained after a lung transplant in 2011. The official cause of death has been noted as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; the disease is fatal and it affects the lungs.
After being diagnosed with the disease in 2009, he went on to receive a pulmonary transplant, however, over the years his body began to reject the transplanted lung and developed serious complications.
We previously covered Edgerton’s medical condition over the span of a few months, and reported his absence at several city council meetings; some of which he attended via telecommunication while he received treatment in San Diego. Through it all, Edgerton gave his best effort to serve his city while battling his medical condition, calling in to meetings during his overnight stays in hotels as part of his weekly treatment itinerary. He once stated that the reason he could not attend meetings was because his treatments happened to fall upon Wednesdays when council meetings are in session; if not for this, he would have attended in person.
The councilman was determined to finish his term of four years, after having been elected in 2012. Edgerton’s first and foremost thoughts were always to ensure that he properly conducted his duties in regards to people he was elected to represent. His level of dedication made him a popular candidate from the beginning.
Edgerton was one of the eldest serving city officials in terms of his age and his relation to the commencement of the City of Menifee; he had been serving the city since its incorporation in 2008 as Menifee’s very first mayor for three years. During the establishment of council districts, he was the people’s first choice in representing District 3.
Prior to his service to Menifee, he served Long Beach on its city council between 1975 and 1992.
Mayor Scott Mann addressed the city on tuesday and stated, “He passed away at his home earlier today.” He went on to say, “He’s been a friend and political ally since day one.”
Mann further commemorated his friend and colleague by stating that Edgerton will be dearly missed and that he was a mentor to many, teaching about politics and bringing an immeasurable amount of experience to the table.
The idea had been discussed in an April 1 meeting, of holding a replacement special election, so as not to leave the people of District 3 unrepresented.
In a previous interview about his health, Edgerton stated he was “Optimistic” but wanted to ensure his people were covered stating, “ But I don't want people to think if and when it occurs, should I run into a brick wall, that the people are going to be left without representation."
According to the mayor, there will be an allotted time frame to discuss the replacement of Edgerton on the June 6 City Council Meeting Agenda.
City Councilman Wallace Edgerton died with his family by his side. He leaves behind two daughters and his wife Judee. Mayor Scott Mann has issued an official order to fly all city flags at half staff until the funeral.
