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PARKERSBURG -- Parkersburg City Council will have at least three new members in 2025, but all nine seats are set for at least a contested primary or general election, if not both.
Twenty-six candidates filed to run for council by Friday's deadline, according to City Clerk Connie Shaffer.
Incumbent Mayor Tom Joyce, a Republican, will run for a third term. He's unopposed in the primary, as is Democrat Sherry Dugan, setting up a rematch between the candidates for the city's 2016 and 2020 mayoral elections.
Councilwoman Jesse Cottrille and Councilmen Bob Mercer and Zach Stanley chose not to seek re-election.
Mercer, a Republican in his second term on council, is running instead for a seat on the Wood County Board of Education. He said multiple factors went into his decision.
"I want to be a part of the kids' educational future," he said. "And I thought eight years is enough."
Stanley, another Republican completing a second term, said he wants to spend more time with his family.
"I have three kids. And I've missed a lot of events by having council," he said.
Stanley said he's enjoyed his time on council but believes it's good to step aside and let someone new bring their ideas to the table.
"I have been trying to do my best to make the city better," he said.
Cottrille, a first-term Republican, said she needs to focus on other things.
"I just decided to take a term off. I am going to run again, probably in four years," she said. "I'm still going to fight for my district. I'm still going to fight for my city."
Two former council members are among the three candidates vying to replace her in District 1.
Dave McCrady, who served one term on council before losing to Cottrille in the 2020 general election, is running this time as a Republican.
McCrady will face the winner of the Democratic primary between former two-term Councilwoman Nancy Wilcox and Sam Henry. All three ran in the 2016 primary, which McCrady won over Wilcox by two votes.
To win a third term representing District 2, Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl will have to defeat Michael Hess in a rematch of the 2020 Republican primary and Democrat Sue Ellen Waybright in the general.
No Democrat filed to run for District 3, which is represented by Mercer. Barring a party appointment or filing by a third-party or independent candidate, the seat could be decided in the Republican primary between Roger Brown, who served on council from 2013 to 2016, and James "JJ" Hendershot.
There are contested primaries for both major parties in District 4, where first-term Councilwoman Wendy Tuck will face David Atkinson on the Democratic side. Republicans will choose either Nikki Lawson or Patrick McCormick as their nominee.
Both incumbent Councilman J.R. Carpenter, serving his third term, and Republican Dell Pomeroy are unopposed in the District 5 Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively.
The longest-serving incumbent, Councilman Mike Reynolds, has two challengers in the District 6 Republican primary - Arthur John Dunn and Cathy Whitlatch. Brenda Brum is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Republican Councilman Chris Rexroad will seek a second term representing District 7. He faces no challenger in the primary, setting up a race with Democrat Sonya Ashby in the general election.
Republicans Andrew Borkowski and Sharon Maloney will vie for the nomination to replace Stanley in District 8. The winner will face Democrat Trish Pritchard in the general election.
District 9 Councilwoman Cathy Dailey, appointed in December, will run for a full term. She's joined in the primary by fellow nominee for the seat Alisa Prince. Former Councilman Jeff Fox, who served from 2017 to 2020, is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The city executive committee can appoint a candidate for a race where no one filed by Feb. 9, or the chairman can make the appointment by Feb. 13. That's also the deadline for any candidates wishing to withdraw from the race, which must be done in the same office where they filed. Unaffiliated candidates have until Aug. 1 to file for the general election. The deadline for write-in candidates is Sept. 17.