WESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — From keeping track of the county’s finances to providing helpful updates to residents on social media, 2025’s Citizen of the Year shows her commitment to her home in more ways than one.
County Commissioner Agnes Queen has been selected as Lewis County’s Citizen of the Year for her dedication to her constituents and community.
Queen was excited to receive this distinction.
“I’m really shocked,” she said. “I’m also really humbled and honored.”
In her position as a member of the county commission, Queen takes on several responsibilities to make sure Lewis County continues to move in the right direction.
“My role as a county commissioner is to make sure we take care of the finances of the county and that we are financially secure so our future looks bright,” she said. “The budget is the big thing we have to deal with as commissioners. We have to make sure we take care of the elected officials, the grounds and the buildings.”
The best part of the job is finding ways to provide aid to people in need, Queen said.
“I enjoy helping people,” she said. “It’s not always possible, but I always at least try to find a way or an avenue to help people with any of the various needs that they have.”
Fellow commissioner Rod Wyman and Commission President Bobby Stewart noted Queen’s commitment to her job and to listening to the concerns of the people she represents.
“We definitely appreciate all that she does,” Stewart said. “It’s a pleasure to work with her and she’s definitely for all of the people. She doesn’t try to separate different groups or entities of people— she is for everyone in the county and that’s very apparent in the work she does.”
“Her role is pretty much being out there as the voice of the commission in most cases,” Wyman said. “She does an incredible job.”
As a further example of the love she has for her community, Queen has represented the people of Lewis County in both state and national conferences, always looking for ways to push the county forward.
“She’s been to the National Association of Counties in D.C. and the West Virginia Association of Counties in Charleston,” Wyman said. “She’s out there at every conference and every meeting she can possibly go to. That’s why we’re moving ahead the way we are.”
Along with her commission responsibilities, Queen is consistently working on ways to make sure Lewis County is successful, she said.
“I do a lot of things that aren’t part of my job, but I still do them to help people,” she said. “I make sure the community is up to date on any events that are happening, or if there are things like power outages and water line breaks. I want to keep people up to date so all of our events are successful. If they’re successful, our community is successful as well.”
This work doesn’t go unnoticed, as several people usually thank Queen for keeping them updated.
“They really appreciate it,” she said. “I see people all the time in Wal-Mart or at the grocery store who say, ‘Thank you so much for the information you put out there.’”
Queen hopes people in the county will remain active and stay updated on the events, changes and activities happening in the county.
“I want people to always be vigilant about what’s going on in their community,” she said. “We need to go back to neighbors helping neighbors.”
Looking ahead, Queen plans to continue fulfilling her duties as a commissioner and as a dedicated citizen.
“I hope to continue to build on the successes we’ve had here in the county,” she said. “I want to continue to grow those and make our county even more prosperous as we move forward.