Ten candidates seeking positions on Vienna City Council
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VIENNA -- Ten candidates are vying for five open seats on Vienna City Council on Election Day, Nov. 3.
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Kelly Sassi Craft
Age: 53
Address: 300 57th Street
Marital Status/Family: Married for 34 years with three children
Occupation: Pharmacy Tech at Dutton Pharmacy
Previous Offices Held If Any: N/A
"Where is Vienna now and where does Vienna want to be in 10 years," Craft said. "I want to bring that information to the people because I believe it is what the citizens deserve."
Craft cites her experience serving on advisory boards in leadership roles and running leagues for travel soccer for her children as giving her experience in dealing with the structure of the political realm.
"I don't have a platform because politicians are there to serve and do what the people they are serving want," Craft said. "I want the voices of the citizens to be heard because we really need to bring the council back to the people."
Craft emphasized transparency on the Johns Manville property, improvement and replacement of roads, sewer lines and water lines and the need to create more programs for the youth of Vienna as some of her points of focus if elected.
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Kim Williams
Age: 53
Address: 801 49th Street
Marital Status/Family: Married with dogs
Occupation: Owner of Jewelry Buyers In Vienna
Previous Offices Held If Any: N/A
"I just see Vienna as having so many opportunities but so many challenges," Williams said. "I am aware of what is happening in Vienna and I am ready to go on day one."
Williams cites her experience as a business owner as a huge asset that will be beneficial if she is elected to council, with skills ranging from financial management to planning and collaboration.
"I am concerned about the finances," Williams said. "We as a city received quite a bit of money from the CARES Act but COVID isn't going away right away and there will be a lot of decisions made going forward to keep this city in a good financial place."
Other areas of focus for Williams if elected would be the completion of Johns Manville with a plan for economic development of the property and infrastructure in Vienna such as addressing flooding problems.
"I just believe in transparency and accountability and that we treat each other respectfully," Williams said. "I love the golden rule and I will treat people the way I want to be treated."
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Mike Elam
(Incumbent)
Age: 51
Address: 926 20th Street
Marital Status/Family: Married to Melissa Elam for 17 years with two sons
Occupation: Regional Sales Rep for Stonerise Heathcare
Previous Offices Held If Any: Councilmember since 2016
"I think we have just touched the tip of the iceberg with issues that face our city," Elam said. "I know what these issues are but now it's about getting the other councilmembers on board to fix some of these bigger issues."
Elam cites his hands-on approach, energetic attitude and commitment to transparency as key assets that he hopes will help his re-election.
"I am easy to work with and passion driven and I want Vienna to be the place where people come to do business and raise families," Elam said.
If re-elected, Elam plans to continue to focus on projects such as Johns Manville, Pond Run and infrastructure problems, such as pipe issues. Elam would also like to potentially establish a multipurpose building for youth to become more involved in the community.
"This is my hometown and this is where I grew up so I want people to be proud of our city," Elam said.
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Alice Goodwin
Age: 56
Address: 710 28th Street
Marital Status/Family: Widowed, late husband worked for Vienna Fire Deptartment for many years, has four grandsons
Occupation: Secretary at West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission
Previous Offices Held If Any: N/A
"I started viewing the livestreams and attending the City Council meetings and up until that point I had no idea what was going on in the city," Goodwin said. "There are so many things that sent up red flags to me, and I decided I could do something and it is time for a change."
Goodwin cites her time management skills, experience with financial statements and past experience dealing with state officials through her job as important assets if elected.
"I have an open door policy," Goodwin said. "I want you to be able to speak to me as though we have been friends our whole lives and I will do whatever I can to address concerns citizens have in a timely manner."
If elected, Goodwin emphasizes transparency of decisions for the public, prioritization of improving infrastructure and cutting unnecessary spending within budgets.
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Roger Bibbee (Incumbent)
Age: 65
Address: 2317 11th Avenue
Marital Status/Family: Four sons
Occupation: Worked over 40 years in public safety; security supervision in healthcare
Previous Offices Held If Any: Appointed to council and has served since 2000
"There are some areas I want to continue to work with and expand on and projects I would like to see through in terms of completion," Bibbee said. "In terms of the Johns Manville property, I think we can complete that in this next term and develop that and I want to be a part of that."
Bibbee cites his organization skills, dedication to seeing things through and willingness to be receptive to citizens as major assets.
Bibbee's major points of focus if re-elected will be continued prioritization of public safety, continued economic development of the Grand Central Mall, improvement of infrastructure and beautification of run-down properties.
"I want to kind of take the lead role as a councilperson to work on initiatives to clean up those areas of our city," Bibbee said.
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Jim Leach
(Incumbent)
Age: 60
Address: 801 28th Street
Marital Status/Family: Married for 34 years, 4 children
Occupation: Lawyer and owner of various businesses such as computer sales, general contracting and property development
Previous Offices Held If Any: Councilmember since 2016
"We are closing in on finishing the Manville property and I am interested in seeing it progress into the development stage," Leach said, adding he has has been a major proponent of the Johns Mansville property during his term.
Leach cites his experience in business and energy and environmental law as important assets, as well as his administrative experience dealing with a multitude of employees.
"Vienna is a pretty well run city," Leach said. "We have a real stable work force and in my view a really solid administration with department heads so just trying to keep that pace and standards that have been set in the past."
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Bruce Rogers (Incumbent)
Age: 73
Address: 2706 River Road
Marital Status/Family: Married with two children, two stepsons, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren
Occupation: Teacher at Jackson Middle School for 29 years
Previous Offices Held If Any: Has served on City Council since 1985 and has worked for various committees within, such as Parks and Recreation for 20 years
"There's a lot of projects I would like to see get done, especially the Johns Manville property because I live two blocks from it," Rogers said. "I think it's really a shame that a city like ours has property behind the river and we haven't been able to develop it, so I'm hoping we will be able to start developing soon."
Rogers has also been working with the Vienna Senior Center since 2005 and cites the importance of continuing to work with senior citizens in the city if re-elected.
Other issues Rogers would focus on include infrastructure, safety issues within the city, the potential replacement of Jackson Pool due to age and structural issues and the potential new establishment of an updated meeting place for City Council.
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Harry Helmick
(Information based on previous coverage)
Age: 72
Occupation: Various Positions in the Insurance industry after over 40 years
Previous Offices Held If Any: N/A
"I've been making sensible decisions for the future of my clients, as I will for the residents of Vienna," Helmick said in a prior interview. "During these years I held numerous management positions and for 15 years I owned and operated Helmick Insurance Agency."
If elected, Helmick said he wants to be open to hearing from the public and serving their best interests.
"I think it is time to bring respect and civility back into politics," Helmick said in a prior interview. "I will never tear someone down to build myself up."
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Henry Sasyn
Age: 55
Address: 1307 Greenmont Hills Drive
Marital Status/Family: Married with twins and two grown stepchildren
Occupation: Product Manager for Momentive Performance Materials
Previous Offices Held If Any: N/A
"I've gone to city council meetings for seven and a half years and nobody seems to be doing anything," Sasyn said. "My wife told me instead of convincing them to do something that I should run and do it from the inside."
Sasyn cites his leadership experience in his work position, his leadership skills and his passion for addressing the needs of others as ideal for this position.
"I've held various management positions and I've done business in 45 countries around the world," Sasyn said. "I've had budgets I've managed that were a lot bigger than what we have here at the city."
If elected, Sasyn's platform would focus on expanding Vienna city limits, eliminating the five at-large council seats and replacing them with wards for equal representation, addressing issues with infrastructure such as drains and water lines and imposing term limits on council members.
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Tom Azinger
Age: 85
Address: 1310 7th Street
Marital Status/Family: Married with four children, 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren
Occupation: Former insurance agent
Previous Offices Held If Any: WV House of Delegates for 22 years in total, from 1994-2014 and 2018-2020, with service on council in between
"It's a nice place to live and I would like to keep it that way," Azinger said of Vienna, where he served on council after leaving the House of Delegates. "One of my big concerns is the drug problem … we have a strong police department and I want to support them in any way I can."
Azinger cites his experience as a member of the House of Delegates with giving him the skills necessary to be on council in Vienna.
"I have a good idea about how the state runs and interacts with cities," Azinger said. "I was in the banking and insurance business so I have a diverse background."
If elected, Azinger wants to prioritize replacing old water and sewer lines in the city and maintaining strong fire and police departments.