Read Hurricane Mayoral Candidate Interviews From Tom Roten's Radio Show On 800 WVHU by clicking here: http://www.800wvhu.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=tomroten.xml
Issues facing the four Putnam County communities in next week’s municipal election are as varied as the candidates seeking their respective offices.
Last week, PutnamLIVE.com sent a questionnaire to all candidates seeking office in the June 12 municipal election in Hurricane, Winfield, Buffalo and Poca. Among the questions posed to candidates were what issues did they believe important in the campaign, and what, in their opinion, has gone right or wrong in their respective town since the last election.
Replies ranged from "things are just fine here, thank you" to "throw the rascals out" to total indifference on issues ranging from parks, sidewalks and police protection.
Hurricane open for business?
In addition to parks and public safety, growth is a topic Scott Edwards is stressing in his campaign for mayor of Hurricane with the Citizens Party. Future growth in Hurricane, Edwards, who was appointed to council in March 2006, said must be "managed appropriately" so as to keep the crime rate low, and services, likes parks and recreation, adequately maintained.
"As we grow," Edwards says, "we must continue to support our law enforcement and insure their growth and expansion matches the area’s growth.
"The use of the park and its facilities has increased dramatically over the last 10 years and unfortunately the city has not been able to keep up with this growth," Edwards adds. "Our children deserve to have safe, clean and up to date recreational facilities."
In addition to the low crime rate, Edwards, 37, president of Netranom Communications, the awards the "locally controlled water and wastewater management systems" the city has is something that has gone right Hurricane in the last four years. The only thing Edwards says has gone wrong is the postponement of an interchange off 1-64 in Culloden.
"Having this interchange would help to alleviate the current traffic problems as well as the anticipated increases with the opening of Hurricane Marketplace," Edwards says.
Edwards faces Sam Cole and Councilman Frank "Sarge" Sergent in the race for mayor. Cole is heading the Peoples Party ticket while Sergent is running independently.
The "first rate utility services" provided to Hurricane is something that out-going Mayor F. Raymond Peak says is the highlight of his administration in his last four years as mayor. Though Peak, 78, is not seeking re-election for the post he has held on-and-off for the last 40 years, he is seeking a seat on council with the Citizens Party.
In his campaign, Peak is touting his accomplishments as mayor in the last four decades which include establishment of an full-time, around-the-clock police force, implementation of zoning and code regulations, resurfacing of city streets, construction of the first city hall building on Virginia Avenue in 1957 and "construction of the new municipal complex that brought all of the city administrative offices together under one roof to better serve the citizens."
The old city hall was sold to Teays Holdings General Partnership, in 2002, a company co-owned by Edwards.
In just the last two years, Peak says "there has been a 58% increase in business licenses with a 50 percent increase in revenue from the issued licenses." Further business development will occur with the opening of the Hurricane Marketplace "which will bring restaurants and new services to the community."
However, Patricia Hager, one of Peak’s opponents for council, says those numbers don’t reflect what’s really happening in Hurricane. The owner of Whispering Wisteria House on East Lynn Street, Hager, 55, said the city is not a "very friendly community for business."
"I feel Hurricane could do more to help what existing businesses we have here by increasing advertising means so close to the interstate exit," Hager says. She is running with the Peoples Party.
As a councilwoman, Hager said she would not only work to increase the visibility of local businesses, but also trim the municipal budget.
"We have too many employees on the payroll at the town hall and too much money being paid on salaries for this small a community," Hager says. "I believe that many of those jobs could be eliminated and money saved by jobs terminated could be used in other areas as needs arose."
Like Hager, Gary Clagg, 58, an electrician for Putnam County Schools, is concerned about how the city makes certain expenditures. What concerns Clagg most is "furnishing company vehicles for the mayor when this money could do more towards other matters in the city, contracting lawn care outside when the city has their own city employees that could do these jobs, and people serving more than one position in an eight-hour day." Clagg is running for council with the Citizens Party.
Billy Woodward is also running for city council as a write-in candidate.
Despite what is said about the city’s finances, incumbent city recorder and treasurer Linda L. Gibson says "the city is audited annually and a financial statement is published as required every year." Finances aside, Gibson, 69, who has served as recorder/treasurer since 1981, touted her involvement with other city officials in obtaining grants in the last four years to aid in providing services to the city. Gibson is running with the Citizens Party.
"The city of Hurricane officials and administrative staff have worked together and received grants for community policing programs, for beautification at all entrances to the city, for a recycling center, for upgrading the facilities at Hurricane City Park and to demolish uninhabitable structures and houses that have been flooded numerous times," Gibson says. "These projects have been undertaken at no cost to the citizens but have been improvements to Hurricane."
Gibson’s opponent for recorder/treasurer is John W. Mangus who is running with the Peoples Party.
Councilman David Boyles submitted a reply from Afghanistan where he is currently serving with the United States military as a Chief Loadmaster with the 130th Airlift Wing.
Boyles cites as a positive, "The Upgrades in the water and sewer depart and winning water quality awards." One of his concerns is "The increase in traffic around SR 19 and 34, we have approach the WV Dept of Highways and the Fed Gov on this but it is not in their future plans. We have not given up."
Prior to serving on the
Hurricane City Council Boyles was President of the Hurricane Zoning
Board of
Appeals. He is also a former Hurricane Police Department officer.
Also seeking a seat on the five-member council are incumbent "Reggie" Billups, (Citizens Party) Brian Ellis, (Peoples Party) Donald E. Chaney, (Peoples Party) Lana Call, (Peoples Party) incumbent Wayne Lively (Citizens Party) and Donald E. McIntrye (Peoples Party).
Competitive mayoral race in Winfield, council race in Buffalo
Like Hurricane, Winfield has three candidates for mayor. Both Jeff Martin, a personal financial advisor, and James Richard Ramsey, are stressing sidewalks in their campaigns.
"The majority of people I speak to are most concerned about getting sidewalks through town," Martin says. "The town has neglected the roads in subdivisions like Riverdale and Radwin and failed to put in sidewalks that would make the town more attractive and safe to walk in."
Ramsey was more blunt in his response. "This town can’t get street repair, but Mr. [Oshel] Craigo can get a drain system," he says.
Martin (D) and Ramsey, along with Ronald C. Stone, (R)are vying for the mayor’s seating being vacated by Claude Hunt, who chose not to seek a third term.
Incumbent recorder Carolyn Pauley faces no opposition, and council candidates Nathan Fewell, Charles H. Keefer, Joe Rumbaugh, Dana Campbell and Charles Eshenaur will need to do little in any campaigning for one of the five seats on council.
Down the road and across the river in Buffalo, the scene is opposite of Winfield. Incumbent Mayor Kenny Tucker faces no opposition, but eight people are seeking a seat on the five-member council.
Of the eight seeking a seat – Leah G. Higginbotham, Ronald Harris, Paul Goddard, Joe Moore, Jay Errett, Barbara John Reed, Joe Martin and Junior D. Tucker – only Reed replied to the questionnaire. A four-term incumbent, Reed, 53, said growth is her main platform.
"Bringing more business to our small town is one very important mission for me, it brings jobs and tax revenue to the town," she says. "Also more residential homes is needed for our area. We need more families to insure that the board of education will not close our schools."
Caruthers making a comeback
No candidates seeking office in Poca answered the questionnaire including former Putnam County Commissioner James H. "Jim" Caruthers Jr. Caruthers, 62, (R) was defeated last year in a bid for a fourth term as commissioner by Gary O. Tillis, (D) business manager for the West Virginia Labor Council.
Caruthers is assured a seat on council as only four candidates filed for the five-member panel. In addition to Caruthers, they are Carolyn Wolfe, Veronica Dale Parkins and Gary "Butch" Miller. Incumbent Patrick L Hill, 63, faces no opposition in the race for mayor.
