By Sarah Mansheim
Area municipal elections are set for June, and as candidate filing dates close, citizens can expect to see some changes on their area city councils, and possibly, in their mayoral seats.
Lewisburg, White Sulphur Springs, Alderson and Rainelle will all hold their elections on Tuesday, June 9, with Ronceverte set to hold theirs one week earlier on June 2.
Lewisburg Mayor John Manchester has filed to run for another term and is being challenged by Lewisburg Realtor Martha Hilton. Hilton is running on the Community Party ticket and is joined by Edith McKinley, owner of Edith’s Store, who is seeking a seat on Lewisburg City Council.
McKinley is challenging incumbents Joseph Lutz and Beverly White, who, like Manchester, are members of the Citizens Party. There are two seats open for election on Lewisburg City Council.
In Ronceverte, City Recorder Jan Johnson has declined to run for another term, and current city council member Crystal Byer has filed to run in her stead. Three seats are open on Ronceverte City Council with four citizens vying for the spots: current council members Bob Baker and Adam Rosin, former Mayor Gail White and Howard F. Weikle, Jr. have all filed as candidates.
White Sulphur Springs looks like it will have a shortage of council members on its dais, as there are five seats open and only four candidates in the running. Longtime council members Lynn Swann and Bruce Bowling have not filed for reelection, and incumbents George “G.P.” Parker and Audrey Burns Van Buren are joined by Larry Wayne Wakeford and Ted Humphreys as candidates for council. Current Mayor Lloyd Haynes and Recorder Peggy Bland are running unopposed for another term. The deadline for write-in candidates ends Apr. 21, so a mayoral, recorder or fifth city council candidate may yet emerge.
In Alderson, Mayor Travis Copenhaver is the only one to file as a candidate in the municipal election. Alderson Town Hall representatives said the filing deadline is not until 45 five days before the election, which the Mountain Messenger calculates as Apr. 25.
In Rainelle, Mayor Andrea “Andy” Pendleton is being challenged by Pat Bell, and current Recorder Pete Adams is facing off with current council member Eddie Midkiff for his seat. There are five seats open on city council, and five candidates are running: incumbents Ron Fleshman, Randy Pendleton, Monica Venable and David Spitzer, and newcomer Gary Harris.
The deadline to register to vote in Ronceverte is May 12. For other municipalities, the registration deadline is May 19.