Next election in April could reset a number of seats
In April 2017, months after the hiring of a new city manager, five new members were elected to Morgantown City Council, joining Jenny Selin and Bill Kawecki.
In April 2021, months after the hiring of a new city manager, it could very well happen again.
As things stand, Selin (4th Ward) and Kawecki (2nd Ward) are the only members of council who say they will seek reelection.
Deputy Mayor Rachel Fetty (1st Ward), Zack Cruze (3rd Ward) and Mayor Ron Dulaney (5th Ward) all said they do not intend to run.
Dave Harshbarger (6th Ward) and Barry Wendell (7th Ward) have yet to come to a final decision.
The issue for most is time.
A young family, a career and a seat on council are difficult to keep in balance, Dulaney said.
“When I do something, I really do it. So for me, it’s hard to do a half job. That’s the problem I’m having right now. By my standards, I’m not doing as well as I want to be doing,” Dulaney said. “At some point, it’s a cost, benefit balance. I’ve given it my best shot. I believe I’ve made a positive contribution, but I think four years is about all I can do at this point.”
Fetty and Cruze said much the same. The decision came down to priorities.
Cruze has accepted a job that will prevent him from serving. He said he’s also ready to trade the administrative nature of city council for more direct service work in the community.
Fetty said she needs to put more focus on her family.
“I have absolutely loved serving on city council, and I’m going to serve enthusiastically until my time is up. But unfortunately, sometimes personal things come up, and I have to reprioritize a little bit,” Fetty said.
Kawecki explained that he was also considering stepping away from council until he started hearing the decisions and indecision of other members.
“In particular, with a new city manager, I think he deserves some level of continuity and support,” Kawecki said. “It’s good to have people there who have an understanding because it takes a while a learn what’s going on.”
Selin, council’s longest- serving member, said she too is looking forward to working with Kim Haws, who took over as city manager about two weeks ago.
“We have a lot of work to finish. There’s a lot going on. We have an airport runway extension. We’ve got an ice rink we’re finalizing construction plans for. We’ve got a riverfront park that we need to see fully programmed and operating,” Selin said. “So I’ll be running again.
Along with who serves on council, city voters will also decide how long those councilors serve when they go to the polls. April’s municipal election will include a proposed charter change that would extend council term length from two to four years.
The charter change would also stagger elections, so either three or four members are up every two years. To initiate this, the winners of the 2nd, 4th and 6th ward seats will serve a four-year term if the charter change passes.
Harshbarger said the extension of the term to four years is a factor he’s weighing, as is the substantial time commitment. He said he plans to come to come to a decision with his family over the holidays.
Wendell said that as of right now, it’s unlikely that he’ll run again.
He also added, “That’s not definite.”
Selin was first elected to council in 2007. Kawecki was elected in 2013. Fetty, Dulaney and Wendell were elected in 2017. Cruze and Harshbarger were elected in 2019.
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