By Steve Keenan
Staff Writer
May 20, 2008 06:31 pm
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Jim Higgins is a veteran of municipal government, while Sonya “Sonie” Petry is a newcomer to the political arena.
Both are in quest of votes for Montgomery mayor as residents go to the polls in the 2008 municipal election. Early voting begins today in the city of about 2,000 residents on the banks of the Kanawha River, and the election is set for Tuesday, June 10.
Higgins, the supervisor of security and services at WV Alloys, is the current mayor. A 59-year-old Montgomery native, he’s served 15 total years in the city’s top post. That includes three four-year terms to which he was elected, two years of late mayor Ben Carson’s unexpired term, and a year in place of ailing mayor Melba Lou White, who later passed away.
“I have always loved Montgomery and continue to love Montgomery … everything about it,” Higgins said Monday. “Because of that, I’m willing to serve.”
His opponent is making her first foray into the political realm.
“After having been a part of Take Back Tech, I saw the need for a change in the (city) administration,” said Petry, who works from home and has lived in Montgomery for “40-plus years.” “We fought the battle, and there were a lot of people behind us.
“(We need an administration) that’s willing to work with Tech and to make changes for both sides of the track.”
Petry is a member of the Take Back Tech committee, formed a couple of years back to oppose a plan to move WVU Tech’s engineering department out of Montgomery. Her experience on that committee opened her eyes, she said. And, it also opened up many avenues of future support for the city if voters opt to put their faith in her, she added.
“We marched the halls of the state capital,” said Petry. “I know delegates on a first name basis and they know me.
“I feel like that’s an asset.”
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One of the issues that has drawn the ire of some city residents in recent weeks has been city council’s decision to institute pay hikes for their positions and that of the recorder. During a winter meeting, the pay for council members was hiked from $100 a month to $500 a month, while recorder was bumped up from $350 to $700 monthly. The mayor’s pay — $800 per month — remained unchanged.
Higgins says the issue has definitely attracted the interest of residents, some who think the money would be better utilized if it were directed to providing needed city services. Higgins admits he might have approached the pay raise in a different manner.
“I agree personally it may have been too much, too quick,” he said. “Maybe it should have been done over a period of time and involved the public a little more.”
That said, he doesn’t downplay the significance of the work council members and the recorder do for the city. “I place a lot of value on the work of the councilmen,” he said. “They’re sometimes a forgotten group. They’re acting as a legislative branch.”
Petry says she needs to do more research on the matter. Although she’s attended past meetings, she said, “I have not been privy to the information and didn’t attend the meeting where the raises were voted on.”
One of her goals if elected is to assess all city-related funds. “We need to look at all monies, not just city council members’ pay.”
She also says more must be done to seek money from other sources to improve the city’s financial picture.
If possible, employing a full-time grant writer might be a good approach to search for funding, she said. “There’s a lot of grant money out there.”
Another goal should be to work more closely with county commissions in Kanawha and Fayette counties, as well as relying more on corporate partners, she noted.
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Higgins says he wants to see an extension of city beautification efforts a committee has undertaken in recent months. Counting city funds and private donations, over $20,000 has been spent on that front in recent months.
“I want to continue to build on the beautification project we’ve been working on the last year,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work in the downtown area.” That effort includes new trash receptacles, painting, plantings and placement of a gazebo on one of the city’s main approaches.
“I’d like to continue something Melba started, removing blighted buildings,” Higgins added. He estimates there are at least seven or eight dwellings “that need to be demolished,” while others should be renovated. The upkeep would help spruce up the community, in addition to helping with economic development, he said.
And, he stressed, “I also want to work on making the city as safe as possible.” Higgins said the city currently has six full-time police officers and four part-time officers. A recent fight involving college students and
Montgomery-area residents, Higgins said, is still something that happens only rarely. “The police handled it well, and some arrests were made,” he said.
Petry feels the city needs to work more closely with sheriff’s departments in Fayette and Kanawha counties “so we have that support when we need it,” and she also says she’d like to explore seeking funds to bolster the number of paid firefighters — one — on the city’s otherwise-volunteer force.
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For more on the race, see next week’s issue of the Herald.
—E-mail:
skeenan@register-herald.com
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