Morgantown Municipal Election Candidate Guide

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Municipal Election Day in Morgantown is April 27. The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Read more election day information here.

Included are interviews with candidates from WAJR’s Talk of the Town leading up to election day. Incumbents Bill Kawecki and Jenny Selin are running unopposed in the Second and Fourth Wards respectively.

Also, voters will decide if terms of service for council members should change from 2-year concurrent terms to 4-year staggered terms. Read more about the referendum here.

First Ward

A Morgantown native and current WVU student is looking to bring a new persepctive to Morgantown City Council.

Seth Collins, will be throwing his name into consideration as a write-in candidate to represent the First Ward on City Council ahead of Morgantown’s General Election on April 27. Collins, will be facing official balloted candidate Patrick Hathaway, for the spot left open by Morgantown Deputy Mayor Rachel Fetty who is choosing not to run again. Collins, stated that one of his goals is to help improve the city through economic development.

“I think the current city council use somehting like $6 million of the CARES Act Fund to balance the budget, and you know that’s just a temporary fund, the money isn’t going to be there forever,” said Collins about the need for new funding sources for Morgantown. “So I would like to see the budget be more dependent on econoic growth and business development,” he said.

One of the area’s Collins pointed out as a crucial building block for Morgantown’s economic growth, was Downtown Morgantown. While speaking about possible economic developments on WAJR’s Talk of the Town, he stated developing that area was the biggest concern he heard from residents in his respective ward. While it’s not the first time efforts to revitalize Downtown Morgantown have been discussed, Collins hopes a new approach can be taken that can be considered viable for Morgantown voters.

“People I talked to that say that Downtown, especially in areas in First Ward and Second Ward where I more frequented, they said Downtown is a very big issue for them,”

When discussing possible proposals on improving Downtown Morgantown, Collins suggested using funds that the City of Morgantown is expected to recieve when CARES Act funds continue to be distributed on a local level, an place them into contracts involving Downtown Morgantown. What Collins proposes, is that some of the funds would be used to permanantly hire a Downtown Morgantown Business Director, much like the city did when they hired Vincent Kitch as Morgantown’s Arts and Culture Director. The hope is that by creating an environment of economic growth, more money can be used to balance budgets and continue long term projects.

“Hire an individual for $50,000 a year to promote Downtown businesses,” he said detailing the proposal. “This individual should have access to $500,000 of the stimulus funding to give free loans and grants to new potential Downtown business owners, if they can commit to staying there for three to five years,” he said.

Collins, will be one of several write-in candidates vying for votes in Morgantown’s General Election. Paul Liller and Lxya Vega are both running as write-in candidates in the 3rd Ward, and former Morgantown City Councilor Jay Redmond, will be running as a write-in in the 6th Ward, facing off against current Morgantown City Councilor Dave Harshbarger. While Morgantown voters ponder who they’ll vote for ahead of the April 27th election, Collins is urging the a vote for him is a vote for Downtown Morgantown economic development.

“I believe that Downtown should be an example for the rest of town, because that’s what people see as the heart of Morgantown, I think overseeing the budget is very important,” he said.

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Patrick Hathaway did not respond to interview requests leading up to the election.
Third Ward

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Ixya Vega, a native of Chicago, came to Morgantown for an education and now she wants to be a leader in community as a councilor from the Third Ward. Vega will be a write-in candidate in the April municipal election.

On WAJR’s Talk of the Town, Vega said she was not really politically active growing up, but that changed as the election approached and she decided to take the write-in route.

As the pandemic wanes, Vega wants to make sure everyone has a voice for positive change.

“Making sure that we come back to some sort of new normal, but a normal that is growing with the people of Morgantown,” Vega said,” Making sure that everybody has a space so we can make some real concrete and intentional change.”

Vega is concerned about public safety and supports the proposed citizens police review board.

“Typically people of color and low income folks and other minorities are put into more danger,” Vega said,” So, I just want to make sure everybody is safe in Morgantown and we can do that by making sure everyone is being held accountable.”

Vega is a write-in candidate so her name will not appear on the ballot. Voters must write her name on the ballot to cast a vote.

“I feel like it would be foolish of me to say I’m not going to sign something with voice of 300 folks behind it,” Vega said,” So, I think it’s really important that I’m uplifting voices that probably haven’t been heard before.”

“I have this energy and I’ve worked in the community for a while,” Vega said,” I definitely think the community should be worked by people who have been working it and are willing to put in time and most importantly listen and continue to learn.”

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A Morgantown small business owner and LGBTQ advocate is seeking your vote for Morgantown City Council ahead of the Morgantown General Election on April 27.

Paul Liller, is a write-in candidate for the Third Ward who will be one of two candidates vying to represent. The seat, is about be occupied for the third time in less than a year with former Councilor Zach Cruze, who resigned in March being replaced by Deborah Bergen, who did not announce a candidacy for the election. In the midst of heavy turnover, Liller is hoping to bring a fresh perspective to council.

“I’m really interested in being a part of the solution and really helping get our businesses and our folks back to work, and making sure that Morgantown stays a great place to live,” said Liller on WAJR’s Talk of the Town discussing his candidacy.

If elected, Liller emphasized that one of his main goals is to promote business growth in Morgantown. His proposal is to reconsider aspects of the business and occupation tax so they create a more favorable business environment. This would include the general tax rules and liscensing rule language in parts of the code.

“There are certain things within the B&O tax rules and some of the liscensing rules that I thik will limit our attractiveness to business,” he said.

Liller, has had a unique road leading to the Morgantown General Election. Not only did he submit the paperwork to become a write-in candidate, he also threw his hat in the ring for the special vote made by Morgantown City Council to replace Cruze in March. Despite showing a real desire to run for a Council seat, he said chose the unorthodox approach of running as a write-in candidate, as a result of the extraordinary circumstances created by COVID-19.

“When your patched with something at the last minute because of the pandemic, you don’t know how those things are going to work out,” said Liller explaining. “So I made the decision to go the write-in route because I thought it was more responsible and kept more people safe,” he said.

While Liller has contributed and participated in several causes, including the advocation for the LGBTQ community and the opening of his business Mask4Mask, question marks over his past also loom. In particular, an incident back in 2015 where Liller took an alford plea on misdemeanor theft charges for improper use of the debit card of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transexual Community Center in Baltimore and Central Maryland. Liller, who was an Executive Director of the facility at the time, detailed his final days there where a contentious debate with the facility’s board president over tax filings lead to a reporting of misspending on art supplies leading to him to a plea.

“I knew if I continue to push the issue, that it would cause long term damage to the center itself,” said Liller giving more details. “For me, what made the most sense was just give them $700, let it be over with and the good that the center still was trying to do would not be impacted,” he said.

Paul Liller, will be facing Lxya Vega, who is also a write-in candidate for the Third Ward seat on Morgantown City Council. Early voting begins on April 14 and last until April 24.

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Fifth Ward

A Morgantown businesswoman who has been involved in several local organizations is looking to serve on Morgantown City Council.

Danielle Trumble, is running as a candidate for the Fifth Ward seat on Morgantown City Council, which is expected to be a highly contested spot with three candidates seeking the spot ahead of Morgantown’s General Election on April 27. Trumble, who is a part of local organizations including Main Street Morgantown, and the Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation, feels her work in various aspects of the city helps her stand out in the contested race.

“I think I have a pretty good basic knowledge of the city and how it runs,” said Trumble discussing her qualifications on WAJR’s Talk of the Town. “I’m very engaged with residents, so I really feel that I’m well positioned to represent the people of Morgantown,” she said.

Much like other candidates running for the highly contested Fifth Ward seat, small business and economic growth have been considered a priority ahead of the Morgantown General Election. In the case for Trumble, who owns an independent baking business in Morgantown, she suggests council should look into any opportunity to diversify businesses in the Morgantown area while increasing patronage.

“I think what small businesses are really looking for from our city is commitment and support for making Morgantown a good place to do business, we need to work harder to draw patrons and a variety of businesses in,” she said.

Another aspect that Trumble pointed out as crucial for Morgantown, is the continued co-operation between the City of Morgantown with local organizations and charitable groups working within city limits. Her experience working in organized commissions such as the Morgantown Health and Wellness and Traffic Commissions, along with her work with Main Street Morgantown and others, has played a role in how she feels council should help promote services working in city limits.

“I think that a lot of people in town are doing great work and the role of city council should really be to support them, support the Morgantown Fairmont Housing Authority,” she said.

For the Fifth Ward seat on Morgantown City Council, Trumble will be facing Tony Setley and former Elkins City Councilor Marly Ynigues in the Morgantown General Election on April 27. The winner of that seat, is in line to replace current Morgantown Mayor Ron Dulaney, who decided not to run earlier this year. With Setley, who worked in local government in Ohio and Ynigues also boasting former council experience in West Virginia, Trumble hopes that her diverse work with Morgantown organizations, will encourage Morgantown voters to vote for her on April 27.

“I know that I have the knowledge, leadership and the local experience that’s going to be needed to move Morgantown forward in the coming years,” she said making a final push for voters. “So I do hope people will get out and vote and I hope that vote will be for me,” she said.

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Marly Ynigues will be on the ballot for the Morgantown city council seat in the Fifth Ward on April 27. She came to Talk of the Town to talk about her priorities if she were elected. Ynigues is a former city councilor from Elkins and the the only candidate on the ballot, in that ward with prior council experience.

“My number one priority is creating community spaces, supporting local artists and small busineses,” Ynigues said,” I just want to serve with transparency.”

Because most parks are geared for younger people and West Virignia is an aging state, Ynigues states that she would like to establish a park for senior citizens. These parks, would be developed to welcome senior citizens and include equipment and accomidations unique for the age group.

“A senior park would provide outdoor fitness equipment for mobility and balance and fun,” she mentioned as benefits of such a park. “It is going to be the first of it’s kind in West Virginia, but we can model after sucesses in other states and countries,” she said.

Ynigues also hopes to use her previous experience as a member of Elkins City Council from 2017 to 2019 to contribute to Morgantown. During her two year term as member of Elkins, she proposed an ordinance that would change Robert E. Lee Avenue and renaming it to honor renowned NASA mathematician and West Virginia native Katherine Johnson. Now looking to serve Morgantown, Ynigues is hoping to not only encourage senior citizen parks, but also intiatives that build small business and other local ventures.

“You should vote Marly for Morgantown so you create community spaces, and support local jobs, local artists and small businesses as the only 5th Ward with city council experience,” she states as her goals if elected.

Another intiative that Ynigues has discuseed, is the Housing First’ program. ‘Housing First’ involes a recovery-oriented approach to ending homelessness that centers on quickly moving people experiencing homelessness into independent and permanent housing. Those providing additional supports and services as needed. The program pays rent on a sliding scale beginning at 100 percent until people can rejoin the workforce then the rent benefit is based on income.

“It’s ‘Housing First’ not ‘Housing Only,” Ynigues emphasized when describing the program. “So we would provide access to a case worker who can help them get access to other services for unemployment, healthcare and alike,” she said.

Ynigues will be one of three candidates that will be running for the 5th Ward Seat on Morgantown city Council. She will be facing Tony Setley and Danielle Trumble to take over for Morgantown Mayor and 5th Ward Councilor Ron Dulaney, who chose to not run again ahead of the 2021 Morgantown General Election.

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Due to a military obligation Tony Setley was unable to appear on WAJR’s Talk of the Town in time for this release, However the following is information from his campaign website:
First-time candidate Tony Setley is running for the 5th Ward seat on Morgantown City Council in the April, 2021 election. He and his wife, Stephanie, are home-owners in the Woodburn neighborhood where they live with their kindergarten-aged son and two rescue dogs. Stephanie, a WVU graduate, and Tony had long hoped to make Morgantown home and moved here in 2017.

Tony serves as a local pastor, middle school football coach, and is a commissioned officer in the Army National Guard. His call to public service has been formed by his experiences in Scouting and the Army. Tony takes pride in calling Morgantown home and was inspired to run for city council after experiencing first-hand the rise in property and petty crime, conversations with neighbors about inadequate trash service, and the unauthorized property incursion & eminent domain proceedings against Wings Ole by the city.

He hopes to serve his neighbors on council by working to make sure that Morgantown city government is a helpful partner for its residents and business owners. Tony believes the people, parks, and amenities Morgantown has to offer make it a great place to work, live, and play and wants to make sure what is broken is fixed and what is good gets even better. He is running as an independent and will not seek or accept the endorsement of any political parties.

Prior to making Morgantown home, Tony served on the Mental Health & Recovery (Addiction) Board of Erie and Ottawa Counties, Ohio and hopes to take the knowledge and experience gained in that role to benefit our city residents and their families who fight for recovery. He is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College (PA), with a Bachelor’s degree in political science, and a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, with a Master of Divinity. Tony is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, The American Legion, and St. Paul Lutheran Church.

*Tony Setley is a member of the Army National Guard. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.

Sixth Ward

The Sixth Ward incumbent Morgantown councilman Dave Harshbarger is looking to maintain his seat ahead of Morgantown’s General Election on April 27.

Dave Harshbarger, is looking to remain on Council and build on his first term after defeating former Morgantown City Councilor Jay Redmond in 2019. Now in 2021, he once again faces former Councilor Redmond this time looking to use his experience on Morgantown City Council during a pandemic and in the middle of several projects to get voters to re-elect him for another term.

“I wanted to continue to serve, to help kind of move forward beyond this, where we will be out of COVID I hope this summer, and begin to meet in person again,” said Harshbarger discussing his goals on WAJR’s Talk of the Town. “And move some of these great projects that we are moving on forward to help our communities,” he said.

There were several projects that Harshbarger pointed out in particular that he would like to see built on if he stays a part of Morgantown City Council. One of the more notable ones, both for better and for worse, has been the work on the Morgantown Airport Runway Extension Project and the Airport Business Park development. While progress has been made with ground being broken this year, the ten year development of the project is something that hopes to improve as work continues.

“Airport extension and the business park and TIF district that will be a part of that and finally getting that moving forward,” he said.

Another goal that Harshbarger wants to build upon, is improving relationships and communications with the City of Morgantown and other local entities. An example of this, is the ten acre Richwood Redevelopment Project, which is a public/private partnership involving not only the City of Morgantown, but local developers, WVU and Monongalia County Commission. Harshbarger hopes, that more partnerships between local entities can continue in order to help the Morgantown area, and in turn the city, grow.

“And I think anytime we can have a collaborative relationship around a project, that that’s a win for the entire greater community,” he said.

If elected, Harshbarger wants to also propose other business growth opportunities, not only ones that are already being developed in Morgantown. Keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic, he hopes for an expansion on creating an environment favoring remote workers. While it is a trend that is very popular in the midst of a social distancing pandemic, Harshbarger feels that attracting a new demographic of workers, could only help an area diversify income streams.

“Remote worker programs, that would be the opportunity to bring in some strong paying jobs, some new people into our region that we will try to attract,” he sad.

Early voting will start for Morgantown’s General Election on April 17. Election Day is scheduled for April 27.

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A former Morgantown City Councilor, is aiming to get back into Council via the open seat representing the 6th Ward.

Jay Redmond, has declared his candidacy as a write-in candidate for the 6th Ward, where he previously served on Morgantown City Council from 2015 to 2017. Now, after being defeated by incumbent Councilor Dave Harshbarger in the previous Morgantown City Council election, Redmond is once again throwing his hat in the ring with his platform stemming on taking city government into a different direction.

“We don’t seem to be focused on what municipal government is all about,” said Redmond about what needs to improve for Morgantown City Council. “Municipal government really is a service business, I mean it’s really about providing services to the residence, that’s how it’s designed in state code,” he said.

Redmond, mentioned the soon to be officially fomalized Community Policing and Citizens Review Board, as one of the type of policies that he feels needs to be reeled back looking ahead. While he stated that there should not be a discouragement of citizen involvement in city policy, there needs to be an acknowledged difference between improved citizen feedback on issues, and what can be done in respect to state laws.

“I think we’re heading down another dead end with the police board,” he said regarding the proposal. “Not that it may or may not be a good idea on it’s merits, to me it’s just not the right thing to do because the authority is not there to do it,” he said.

Despite his call to ease back on certain aspects to Morgantown City Council’s approach towards general policies, Redmond did call for a continued need to improve on citizen participation in day-to-day city activities. Looking ahead toward the not too distant future, he mentioned the surplus of CARES Act funds that are expected to be given to the City of Morgantown in the coming months. If elected, Redmond aims to try and bring some support to small businesses who were affected by COVID-19 lockdowns.

“While I’m not sure how the relief money is going to play out but I hope we can find a way to support and prop up some of these small businesses to get them back and going again,” he said regarding one of his goals.

Due to the delay of Redmond’s candidacy, his name will not appear on the ballot for Morgantown’s General Election. In order to vote for him, as well as other eligible write-in candidates, you must write in their name in the respective ward where they are running. Early voting begins on April 17, the Morgantown General Election takes place on April 27.

“You want somebody that can communuicate, you want somebody that knows how to colaborate, you want somebody that knows how to make things happen, and maybe most of all, you want somebody that has a passion and love for the community,” said Redmond pitching to voters. “All I can say is that I have all of that and lots more,” he said.

Seventh Ward

Brian Butcher is the Morgantown city council candidate in the 7th Ward.

Butcher believes the cost of living in Morgantown is too high and the lack of affordable housing prevents people from moving inside the city limits of Morgantown. Getting the cost under control or even lowering home values could make living in Morgantown more affordable. Butcher contends housing is as much as 20 percent more expensive in Morgantown than other areas in the country.

“I own a home too,” Butcher said,” But the thing is, we want to be able to have as many people as possible move into the city so we can have a better tax base and better amenities.”

Butcher sees the downtown area as a place for prime development. Butcher said small businesses grow the local economy, but the tax structure is detrimental to some businesses. One proposal is to increase exemptions in the B & O tax for small businesses and increase it for larger businesses and big-box stores. Butcher would also like to streamline some development rules and bring more events to the downtown area.

“I’ve talked to a lot of small business owners,” Butcher said,” They just feel like they’re getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the B & O and unfortunately it’s not a rate we can set, but it’s something we can advocate for.”

Butcher believes housing is a human right and has signed off on the Morgantown Can’t Wait pledge. Butcher said focusing on housing could reduce problems in neighborhoods that require police response. As those problems are solved as much as 30 percent of that budget could be redirected to support affordable housing options.

“But again, if we have less of a need for their services (law enforcement)then we should look to see what we can do to shift that funding to a place that helps the city overall,” Butcher said.

When asked why he is running for city council he said,” I’m running for city council to represent working people and I will always be amenable to their concerns,” Butcher said,” And to anyone with a concern within the city.”

Seventh Ward incumbent Barry Wendell is not running for relection. Butcher faces candidate Ben Mayle in the April 27 municipal election.

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Candidate for Seventh Ward councilor in Morgantown Ben Mayle has been watching city politics for the last few years and has been waiting for the right time to get involved. Mayle held off filing due to the birth of a child, but has been a study of council for some time.

“I really wasn’t paying much attention until the Haymaker thing a couple for years ago and I realized it wasn’t making any sense to me. So, I started thinking about when I voted for these people and I realized I didn’t,” Mayle said on WAJR’s Talk of the Town,” I had no idead when and where the voting was done or anything of the sort.

Among priorities for Mayle are cleaning up downtown, helping find solutions for the homeless, attracting new businesses to downtown with options like no interest loans and funding first responders and their pensions.

“The police situation, the firefighter situation are high priorities for me,” Mayle said,” I think we need to get those lawsuits straightened up and they need to be funded properly.

According to Mayle, the Morgantown Police Department is currently down 14 officers. He says if tensions are not lowered between the city and first responders it will become increasingly difficult to recruit for open positions.

“When I went to get my signatures, I got 110 because I wanted to have more than enough,” Mayle said,” I asked people what were the most important things and I got the same answers- police, firefighters, snow removal, paving and trash.”

Mayle wants to serve the public and asks for your vote on election day- April 27.

“I’m from Morgantown, I’m for Morgantown,” Mayle said,” I support ideas that are in the best interests of Morgantown and that’s the common sense test I’ll put to everything.”