Vienna, Williamstown mayors react to elections legislative proposal
(West Virginia Capitol News - Graphic Illustration generated with the use of ChatGPT)
VIENNA — Vienna Mayor Chad Emrick said Vienna currently operates as a nonpartisan community and that structure shapes how local elections and governance function. “Vienna functions as a nonpartisan community, in a sense, when it comes to the election of the mayor and the council,” Emrick said. He said the nonpartisan format “allows the focus to be on the candidate and what the candidate can specifically do for the city itself,” rather than on broader party priorities. Emrick said removing party labels helps prevent national or state-level political agendas from overshadowing local concerns. A nonpartisan system, he said, allows city leaders to “focus on the city itself without getting all that mixed in.” Emrick said he values representing all residents regardless of political affiliation. “The people in Vienna — their political affiliation can be Republican, Democrat, Independent, whatever,” he said. “As the mayor, I represent each and every one of them independently.” Emrick said he is still reviewing the bill and remains unsure why the legislation is being pushed. He described House Bill 4080 as “a unique bill” and said it is unclear how it would affect Vienna if it were to move forward. The City of Parkersburg already conducts partisan elections for its municipal elected offices. Williamstown Mayor Paul Jordan said his city currently conducts nonpartisan elections, with everyone running in the same races. Williamstown doesn’t have districts so all council seats are at-large positions. Jordan said Williamstown — with a population of 2,900 people — sometimes struggles to get sufficient candidates to file for all open positions so he is not sure what impact such state legislation might have on the city without more consideration and study. Staff Reporter Wayne Towner contributed to this story. Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.comLocal News
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