MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two members of Morgantown City Council could soon be from the same ward.
The Ward and Boundary Commission has recommended a plan to distribute the number of registered voters in each ward more equally. The proposal places 3rd Ward Councilwoman Weeize Michael’s home address in the 4th Ward, which Deputy Mayor Jenny Selin currently represents.
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The city charter requires a review of the ward boundaries every two years. A volunteer commission is tasked with making any necessary adjustments to equalize the wards as practically as possible. Commission Chair John Trumble explained this year’s review was especially difficult after 5,500 inactive voters were purged from voter rolls, drastically changing the number of registered voters in some wards. Trumble said that, unfortunately, Michael and Selin ending up in the same ward was unavoidable.
“A lot of the conclusions looked the same. We talked possibilities in Wiles Hill but if we chopped up those streets didn’t make any sense,” Trumble explained.
Trumble emphasized the process was data-driven, using the help of GIS Coordinator Marvin Davis and ArcGIS software. He said the software generated initial options that the commission then reviewed and tweaked to come up with the final proposal that was presented to council.
“Obviously I’m kind of sad about it because I really like my ward and I’ve worked really hard up there to do some things and get our neighborhood back; get rid of vacant houses, fix the roads and sidewalks and alleyways that have been ignored for so many years. But it is what it is, I guess,” said a dejected Michael.
If the plan is adopted, Michael will be able to serve out her current term as the 3rd Ward Councilor, which runs through 2027. If Michael were to choose to run for council again, she would have to run for the 4th Ward seat, which will be on the ballot again in 2029.
Council will now take up the proposal for a first reading but has the authority to make changes to the plan.
In 2014, a proposal to redraw ward boundaries recommended by the commission placed 4th Ward Councilor Jenny Selin in the 7th ward, which was represented by Nancy Ganz at the time. Council rejected the recommendation by the commission and adopted its own changes on a 4-3 vote.