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Cuppett, Fox want to represent District 9

PARKERSBURG — The District 9 City Council seat held for two terms by Councilman Jim Reed, who did not seek re-election, will be occupied by either Republican Shelly Cuppett or Democrat Jeff Fox come January.

Cuppett, a mother of three, said she thinks council “could use the opinion of a mom.” She said she wants to help bring people together, across boundaries of geography, education levels and race.

“To bring Parkersburg back to the place it was years ago, when it was thriving, you can’t do that when everybody’s on a different page,” Cuppett said.

Council members should act as a bridge between constituents and the city, Cuppett said.

“I think that if each councilperson would take the responsibility for their district, truly care about what people think, we could change this city,” she said.

Asked whether fees should be lowered because of municipal sales tax revenue, Cuppett said, “I have to see all of the facts before I can make a decision.”

After campaigning door-to-door in District 9, Fox said he knows what’s on the minds of residents with regard to council.

“They want less bickering and more action,” he said.

Citizens need a break on fees, Fox said, and he would like to see the police, fire and user fees ultimately eliminated. But that shouldn’t be done prematurely.

“The realistic thing to say is I’m not sure there’s a big enough period of data for what revenue that 1 percent’s (sales tax) actually going to be able to create,” he said.

When the city offers incentives to developers, it should be  done for projects that will create more than minimum-wage jobs, Fox said.

“They should be done in mind to create some good-paying jobs that have some basic benefits,” he said.

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