Lewisburg City Council candidate Mark Carver
As a lifelong resident of Lewisburg, I am proud to say this city is where I married my wife, Margaret Simmons Carver, and it is where we are privileged to be raising our two wonderful children, Madeline and Mason.
In the past 25 years, I have had the opportunity to serve the people of Lewisburg in many different capacities. From 1990 to 2005, I was a member of the Lewisburg Volunteer Fire Department, where I served as assistant fire chief for eight years. During my time with the Fire Corporation, I also filled the role of president, co-chair of the by-laws committee and co-chair of the West Virginia State Fire Convention Site Committee, which was hosted in Lewisburg in 1995.
If the people of Lewisburg should elect me to represent their voice as a city council member on June 13, it would be the second time I have served in that capacity. From 2001 to 2003, I was a member of Lewisburg City Council – acting during that time as chair of the Public Works Committee and a member of the finance, public safety and storm water committees. In 2003, I resigned my position on city council to fill the role of Public Works Director.
Over the next 12 years in that role, I served on the Board of Directors of Greenbrier Public Service District No. 1, acted as a voting member of the West Virginia Rural Water Association and the American Public Works Association, and served as ex officio on the Lewisburg Parks Committee.
Outside of work, I stay active in youth sports as a volunteer and coach and attend Shuck Memorial Baptist Church with my family. For the past five years, I have enjoyed being a girls’ softball coach. Currently, I’m coaching in the Greenbrier Girls Softball League of Lewisburg and coaching 1st and 2nd grade basketball as part of the Lewisburg G.R.O.W. project.
I have spent my entire life in Lewisburg, and with that comes the kind of pride that I believe only someone who grew up here can feel. It’s amazing to look back over my 51 years and see how we have grown. Our history must be preserved and passed down to our children. The core values that have made Lewisburg so special must not be lost to outside interests and influences from those who are not truly vested into our community and are, in most cases, here today and gone tomorrow.
I am proud to be on the Majority Voice Party ticket for the June 13 election. I am ready to listen to the people of Lewisburg and, as is the function of true representative government, allow their voice to set the course and future of our wonderful town.
Lewisburg City Council Candidate Debra Crites-Sams
My name is Dr. Debra Crites-Sams. I have lived in Greenbrier County for 35 years. I was born and raised in Fairmont, WV. In 1978, I moved to Phillipi to attend Alderson Broaddus, where I received a BS in mathematics and biology. Afterwards, I came to Lewisburg to attend the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM). It was here I met and married by husband, Robert Michael Sams. Upon completing my family practice residency, I began private practice in Fairlea in 1989. My husband and I resided at our farm in Fort Spring until 1997, when we moved to the Homeland Estate, the former home of Dr. Hogg, on Washington Street in Lewisburg. We have spent the past 17 years in this home – 16 of which have been shared with our son, Matthew Sams.
When I was first approached by the Majority Voice Party to run as a candidate for Lewisburg City Council I was a little hesitant because of my vocational commitments. However, after much thought and prayer, I was reminded of my favorite verse from the Bible, Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” With the strength of my faith and the encouragement of friends and family, I am delighted to announce my candidacy for city council.
As a physician, I am a fierce advocate for my patients. Similarly, I plan to be an advocate for my fellow citizens of Lewisburg. I have served for many years on various hospital committees. As the vice chief of staff and former department of medicine chair, I have earned a reputation as someone who gets things done. I believe we can overcome any challenge our town may face head on and reach meaningful, lasting solutions. My goal is to embrace our wonderful heritage while effectively progressing to a future I believe can be bright and rewarding. My agenda is the agenda of the people.
I love the city of Lewisburg. This community has been very good me and has embraced my family over the years. I now feel I am in a position to give something back. I am not running for the glory of the title. I am running so that I may give a voice to those who feel voiceless. Lewisburg is not my town; it’s our town.
Lewisburg City Council Recorder candidate Allen Petrie
I first came to Lewisburg in the mid-1950s to attend Greenbrier Military School. I was in the Class of 1960. I then attended Campbell College in North Carolina, and was subsequently accepted into the master’s degree program in Geology at the University of West Virginia. However, after attending my first course, a field geology class at Camp Wood, I was drafted and ended up serving 20 years in the United States Navy as a naval aviator. Upon retiring from the Navy in 1987, I became a real estate appraiser in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Over the following 25 years I appraised numerous types of real estate throughout the Tidewater area of Virginia, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The next milestone in my life was reconnecting with my childhood sweetheart, Tay Rawl, a native of Lewisburg, whom I met while attending GMS, some 50 years before. I retired, moved back to Lewisburg, and we were married in 2009. I moved frequently during my childhood and much of my adult life. But I always considered my roots to be in Lewisburg, so coming back was, in reality, coming home.
Since coming home I have been involved in numerous endeavors. I am a member of the Shepherd Center Board of Trustees, a program facilitator for that organization’s semiannual Adventures in Learning program, and I also participate in the Gwen’s Meals program. I am a member of Rotary for which I participate in Penny Pitch, a member of the Greenbrier Valley Airport Advisory Committee, and a member of the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation Scholarship Committee. I am a past member of the Greenbrier County Planning Commission and the Read Aloud West Virginia program.
I am also on the Johnson Youth Aviation Academy Board of Directors. This is a new foundation, under development, that will provide free aviation and aviation related training and flight training to under-privileged and at-risk youth and young adults.
For entertainment and great enjoyment, I am a member of the Greenbrier River Optimistic Ukulele Players (GROUP). We play at different venues such as area schools and nursing homes. I am also affiliated with the Southern West Virginia Amateur Radio Association.
It is my hope, that with the nomination by Majority Voice Party and your vote, I can continue serving the people of Lewisburg – this time as the Lewisburg City Council Recorder.
Lewisburg City Council MVP Candidate Dorcus Tuebert
I was born in Richwood, WV, and raised in Rainelle. Both my parents served in the U.S. Military. In 1988, my husband, Mike, and I moved to Lewisburg, where we’ve proudly raised three daughters and are members of Grace Bible Church in Asbury.
Most of my career has been in the travel/transportation industry. I was a consultant to global industry leaders, such as Society of Automotive Engineers and Young Presidents Organization. In my field, I’ve held positions in travel, airline, charter operations, manager, trainer, troubleshooter, quality control analyst, and director.
I also owned and operated 5 Star Charters – a charter brokerage company based in Lewisburg, where I negotiated with major airlines, such as Miami Air, Delta and US Air, and with corporate clients, such as Marsh & McLennan Insurance, New York.
Like my parents, Mike was in the military, and for 25 years I was actively involved in assisting and counseling military families who were adjusting to military life. I also served Battalion Commanders as a crisis intervention advocate.
Outside of my military involvement and business endeavors, I have been active in the Quota Club, Chamber of Commerce, Daisy Girl Scouts, and multiple fundraising events and projects. I currently serve as director of operations at Lewisburg/Greenbrier Valley Airport.
My passion is, and always has been, to serve. Through the opportunity afforded to me by the Majority Voice Party nomination for Lewisburg City Council, I would like the Lewisburg community to use their VOICE and let me know what issues are important to them.
