MORGANTOWN — The question of whether the city of Morgantown should eliminate its standalone election and move onto the county’s primary ballot will not go before the city’s voters.
An ordinance to place that proposed charter change on the city’s April 29, 2025 ballot failed on first reading Tuesday evening with Mayor Joe Abu-Ghannam, Deputy Mayor Jenny Selin and councilors Bill Kawecki and Louise Michael voting against the measure.
Arguments for and against the move were pretty much on par with what they’ve been historically. On one side, moving onto the county ballot will likely increase voter participation and certainly save the city money. Opponents fear the city election would become lost in a list of state and national races and potentially mired in partisan politics.
“I’ve heard these arguments, pro and con, for the longest time. I understand that it costs us money, but my feeling is that I believe what we do in this city is important enough for people to take an interest in, and that should be the driver bringing them to vote,” Kawecki said.
“I don’t see where moving it over to compete with everything else that’s going on at that time, you know, just kind of joining the circus … Is that advantageous to the city at all? I can’t support this one.”
Councilor Brian Butcher said it’s naive to think wider partisan politics don’t already bleed into council races.
Further, he said council elections are not competing for attention in their current standalone format, and yet the voters don’t seem all that interested.
The 2023 election involving four of city council’s seven seats drew 1,697 voters (12.96% — one of eight registered voters) to the polls. That’s up slightly from 1,517 in 2021 and 1,642 in 2019.
“It’s incumbent on us to make sure that we are doing everything we can to get that outreach to people to bring them into this process. I think this is like a huge step in doing that,” he said.
Councilor Danielle Trumble noted recent unsuccessful efforts in the state legislature to require municipal elections be held at the same time as county-run elections.
She said it would be in the city’s best interest to move proactively and at least let the city’s voters decide rather than be forced to comply with a mandate out of Charleston.
“This is us saying, ‘Let’s put it in the hands of the people and let them decide.’ I trust the people to make the best choice on that. This is us putting it on the ballot and saying, ‘Would you like us to hold our standalone election, or would you prefer us to move it,’ ” she said. “I think people should have a say in the way their government is run.”
Council approved the first reading of five other potential charter amendments on Tuesday, including one that would allow the body to waive the residency requirement for the city manager position.
That vote went 6-1 with Butcher voting in the minority.
Currently, the charter says the city manager doesn’t have to be a city resident at the time of appointment, but “must reside in the city while in office.”
Under the proposed change, the manager “may reside outside the City while in office only with the approval of Council.”
While the body seemed unanimous in its belief that the manager should live within the city and be an active part of the community, members said loosening the restriction provides additional bargaining leverage when it comes to hiring a new manager — which it will be doing soon.
“I think that does add some flexibility with negotiation with a future city manager. By no means does this lessen the desire for the city manager to be involved intimately within the city,” Councilor Dave Harshbarger said.
Current City Manager Kim Haws — about whom residency questions were raised in 2022 — announced last week that he intends to retire in the near future.
Other charter changes passed unanimously on first reading include:
- An amendment allowing the mayor or three members of council to call a special meeting. Currently, it requires the mayor or four members.
- An amendment setting a candidate withdrawal deadline 30 calendar days before the date of the election. Because the city relies on state code in this regard, the deadline to withdraw as a candidate actually falls before the city’s deadline to file as one.
- An amendment stating the duties of the city clerk must be performed in a neutral, nonpartisan manner.
- An amendment mandating the city’s boards, authorities and commissions submit reports to city council annually by June 30th indicating the entity’s activities and financial condition.
