4 vying for 2 seats speak at Elkins candidates forum

ELKINS -- Candidates in the running for the Fourth and Fifth Ward Elkins City Council seats in the June 10 municipal election answered questions regarding small businesses, infrastructure, revitalization and more during a Meet the Candidates event Tuesday evening.

Hosted by the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce at the West Virginia Wood Technology Center, the Meet the Candidates event saw members of the community come out to learn more about the candidates running in the Fourth and Fifth wards, the only two contested wards this election cycle.

Incumbent Fourth Ward Council member Nanci Bross-Fregonara and her challenger, Jon Clingerman, appeared alongside incumbent Fifth Ward Council member David Parker and his challenger, Burley Woods.

The event was moderated by Artists at Work President Dan Engstrom and was streamed live on YouTube by Kolsun Media. The candidates were each given a chance to answer the seven questions asked by Engstrom, with two minutes each to respond.

When asked what Elkins should be doing to attract new businesses and retain existing ones, Clingerman's response revolved around making sure business owners felt valued and heard in the community, as well as tackling the issue of city infrastructure, especially in the Industrial Park area.

"I come from wood manufacturing management, and it's amazing that we only have x amount of wood manufacturers in this area," Clingerman said. "It should be more, because wood around here is a very valuable asset, especially to us, and it would be awesome to bring in more businesses into the Industrial Park, and, yeah, I'm here for it."

The issue of the flooding on Diamond Street and Weese Street, which are both located in Fourth Ward, and the subsequent flooding in the connecting streets, some of which are in Fifth Ward, became a topic of interest for the candidates after they were asked what their priorities were for improving local infrastructure, such as roads, water and broadband services. 

All agreed that changes had to be and were currently being made to the water infrastructure in those areas, but Woods said that the city needs to have more of a focus on infrastructure in its overall plans instead of "passing the buck."

"The Planning Commission and a few of us have been pushing for infrastructure to be its own topic and it keeps getting buried, so every time we look at moving Elkins forward, we're like 'Well, let's put infrastructure underneath of development,'" Woods said. "It needs to come out. It needs to be a line item that City Council has the ability to say, 'We're going to involve infrastructure in our strategic plan going the next 10 years.'"

Parker took issue with Woods' comment, countering that infrastructure had not been "buried" by the council or the city.

"Infrastructure has not been buried," Parker said. "Infrastructure has been high on our priority list. It has been discussed. We are looking always for ways to fund it, to finance it. These are hundred million dollar projects, $50 million dollar projects. So, I don't want to hear that."

Woods, in response, apologized if he "hit a nerve" and invited Parker to attend the meetings where they are trying to make infrastructure a line item in the comprehensive plan, and not a sub-category. Woods also clarified that he meant to say the city's comprehensive plan, not the city's strategic plan.

When asked what role should City Council play in encouraging neighborhood revitalization and blight reduction, Bross-Fregonara explained that the council and its decisions already play an intricate role.

"(The council does) have the ability to respond to constituent concerns, and I get those calls all the time about neighbors not taking care of their property," Bross-Fregonara said. "I encourage people to pick up the phone. There's also a way you can do it on the (city) website as well."