MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The new iteration of Morgantown City Council will have Fifth Ward Councilor Danielle Trumble as mayor and Seventh Ward Councilor Brian Butcher as deputy mayor.
Trumble was selected in a 4-3 vote, with Butcher, along with new Second Ward Councilor Jodie Hollingshead and new Sixth Ward Councilor Mark Downs, voting in support of the new mayor. Butcher was selected as deputy mayor unanimously, with no other council members a part of any contested nominations. Both Trumble and Butcher expressed appreciation to their fellow council members, both new and old, for their confidence in leadership, with Trumble being elected after failing to be selected as deputy mayor and mayor in two previous iterations of the council.
“I’m very excited, this has been a goal for a very long time, and I look forward to further serving the people of Morgantown through this new role,” said Trumble.
Previous Morgantown Mayor and First Ward Councilor M. Joe Abu-Ghannam was also nominated for mayor by Fourth Ward Councilor and previous Morgantown Deputy Mayor Jenny Selin, with Third Ward Councilor Louise ‘Weez’ Michael voting in support.
After her first official meeting and executive session as mayor of Morgantown were in the books, Trumble spoke with a WAJR reporter, where she spoke optimistically about how the council will operate representing the city. This included a shake-up of council representatives on area boards and commissions, with Hollingshead being approved as council representative on the Urban Landscapes Commission, Butcher being named to be a representative on the Urban Housing Commission, and Downs serving in similar capacities on the Morgantown Parking Authority and the Morgantown Utility Board, among many others. For Trumble, who will represent the council in BOAPRC and tourism-related boards and commissions, she feels these placements will play to the strengths of the members of the council.
“Councilor Downs coming onto the council has been working with MUB in other roles (among other organizations),” said Trumble on the mindset behind some of the appointments. “Jodie Hollingshead looked at a couple of the boards and commissions, and she picked out a few that she thought she would fit in well with.”
Butcher also offered his share of gratitude and optimism fornot only serving as Morgantown Deputy Mayor but also having a chance to serve with the new iteration of the council. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, he discussed his past workings with both Downs and Hollingshead in unrelated city issues that ranged from downtown events to activist efforts that involved city communications. While speaking highly of the other members on the council and emphasizing goals to increase affordable housing in the city, Butcher noted that he still plans to continue to grow in the position despite the unanimous endorsement.
“I have a deep love for a lot of the members that I serve with on the council, and I’ve appreciated the time that I’ve been here,” said Butcher. “I feel like I’ve done a lot to learn, so I appreciate their confidence in me.”
While the new Morgantown mayor and deputy mayor each expressed optimism about what is to come with the new council in place, they also made it a point to address concerns expressed by both residents at the meeting and on social media over pictures taken with Downs and Hollingshead in the days prior to Tuesday’s meeting. In the pictures, the then two councilors were quoted as being part of the “Quickest Quorum” with the new members who were yet to be sworn in as part of a local fundraiser, creating what some called a concern over objectivity on future votes. Understanding the criticism, both Trumble and Butcher emphasized that the council expects to remain objective on city issues.
“I think it’s totally fine and fair criticism,” said Butcher. “But I think people who have followed what I’ve done on the council and the way that I’ve been operating know that I care a lot about the integrity, not just for myself, but for the integrity of the office.”