MORGANTOWN — Two former city councilors and a longtime member of the Monongalia County Board of Education (BOE) are among the candidates vying for seats on Morgantown City Council as of late Monday afternoon.
Of the sitting members, only 6th Ward Councilor Mark Brazaitis will not seek re-election.
A first-term councilor, Brazaitis battled through personal issues that ultimately saw his employer, WVU, bar him from the classroom pending evaluation and ended with council voting in August to remove him as the city’s deputy mayor.
“Being a city councilor is a wonderful job. Done right, it’s a considerable amount of work. I’ve decided, come July, to focus more on my family, my job and my writing,” Brazaitis said. “I’ll continue to advocate for what I believe in, including preservation of green spaces, annexation and the continued revitalization of the Metropolitan Theatre.”
Former council member Jay Redmond, whom Brazaitis defeated 1,620 – 1,000 in 2017, will face off against Dave Harshbarger for the open 6th Ward seat.
In the 1st Ward, incumbent Rachel Fetty will run against longtime councilor Ron Bane. Fetty defeated Bane, an eight-term incumbent, 1,652 – 915 to win her first time on council in 2017.
In the 2nd Ward, Barbara Parsons, who just ended an 18-year run on the BOE, will take on Mayor Bill Kawecki.
“I like to be involved, and since I’m no longer on the school board, I’ve got time to share,” Parsons said of the decision to run. “It presented itself as an opportunity and I got some phone calls from some people who said, ‘Why don’t you think about it?’ At first I thought, am I crazy? But then I started to think, why not give it a try and see how it goes.”
Thus far, 3rd Ward Councilor Ryan Wallace, 4th Ward Councilor Jenny Selin, 5th Ward Councilor Ron Dulaney and 7th Ward Councilor Barry Wendell are unopposed.
Monday marked the deadline for candidacy paperwork to be filed with the city clerk’s office. As of 4 p.m., the above candidates were filed.
Candidacy paperwork can still be accepted by mail as long as it was postmarked no later than Feb. 11. Certificates from write-in candidates must be filed no later than April 16.
The drawing for ballot position will be held March 5.
Early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 17-27 in the Morgantown City Hall lobby, located at 389 Spruce St., or at the Northside Fire Station, located at 1000 Van Voorhis Rd.
The Morgantown City Council Election is April 30.
Additional information, including precinct polling locations, can be found at morgantownwv.gov/157/ Election-Information.
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