Mayor Rappold is right, giving voice and vote to citizens

Dec. 7—Mayor Rob Rappold got it right.

On Wednesday, less than a week shy of the Beckley City Council passing an ordinance that would have changed the form of government with scant public input, the mayor wrote in an email to unidentified members of a "CH Council" list that he had decided to let the voters, not the Beckley Common Council, make that decision.

Bravo!

"Recognizing the desires of at least 3 members of council and several outspoken residents for public input, it is my intention to support an ordinance to send the question to the voters on the May 14th general election ballot," Rappold wrote in that email obtained by The Register-Herald. "I am not comfortable with a narrow 4-3 vote by Council on such an important issue, sending it on for a second reading and possible passage."

Since the city's inception more than 100 years ago, a strong mayor has always governed Beckley, the heart of Raleigh County and the hub of southern West Virginia. The discussion to change city government began percolating in earnest nearly eight years ago when an 18-person task force, appointed by then Mayor Bill O'Brien, identified five initiatives the city should explore. One suggestion — on a unanimous vote — was for the city to swap a strong mayor form of government for a city manager form.

The idea, at its core, was to provide professional management courtesy of a city manager who would be the city's chief administrator, reporting directly to council. The mayor? He or she would become little more than a figurehead, ready to cut ribbons at grand openings and preside at meetings — without power to affect either the council's agenda or city operations. Mayoral vision? A thing of the past.

Advocates of the manager form of government also argue that taking the mayor out of the equation removes politics from city government — which, on its face, is laughable. These days, politics cloud all organizations, elected and appointed, public and private, partisan or not, and nearly every discussion in the public square or across myriad social media networks.

If council follows, as it should, the mayor's lead at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, there will be plenty of time to have a public airing of the plusses and minuses of a city manager-strong council form of government.

For now, the mayor did the right thing in saying the citizens, not the seven members of council, should make that historic decision.

Thumbs up, Mayor Rappold.

By J. Damon Cain, editor of The Register-Herald

----Thumbs up to artists John DesMeules, of Beckley, a renowned glassblower in residence at Tamarack, and Christie Saunders, of Barboursville, a juried member of the West Virginia Watercolor Society, for their winning design of West Virginia's 2023 limited edition Christmas ornament, sponsored by First Lady Cathy Justice and the West Virginia Division of Arts, Culture and History.

DesMeules crafted a hand-blown round glass ornament swirled with gold and white accents, featuring a sandblasted area on the front, which served as the "canvas" for Saunders.

Justice worked with Saunders to conceptualize a heartwarming scene of two children beneath a Christmas tree, wrapped in a starry night with the words "shine bright," echoing a message of inspiration for all children.

Only 500 ornaments are available, for $35 each, from Tamarack Marketplace and at The Culture Center in Charleston. Anyone interested in purchasing an ornament may phone 304-205-7911 and leave a voicemail with their name and phone number.

----Thumbs up to Career Day for Wyoming County middle and high school students. Conducted at both Westside and Wyoming County East high schools earlier this week, the events showcased class options available at the Wyoming County Career and Technical Center.

Students participated in a variety of hands-on activities.

Career booths included carpentry, automotive technology, electrical technology, drafting/CADD, cosmetology, nursing assistant, game design, diesel technology, welding, law/public safety, Prostart, among others.

Students were bused in from feeder schools across the county, then spent a couple of hours exploring the various career options.

Here's to all the educators, administrators, bus drivers, Career and Technical Center students, and numerous others who made Career Day a success at both high schools. No doubt, you changed the futures of several students with your efforts.

By Mary Catherine Brooks

of The Wyoming County Report

for The Register-Herald