Oak Hill officials offer tips to Beckleyans on what to expect with a city manager
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — With Beckley on the verge of a historic change from a strong mayor form of municipal government to a city manager system, effective July 1, 2024, voters and even candidates may have questions about the role of a city manager.
To get perspective, 59News called on Oak Hill City Councilman Bill Hanabass on Friday, January 26, 2024. He once served as mayor of the Fayette County town of around 8,000.
“It’s harder than you think,” said Hannabass, describing the mayor’s position. “It’s a stressful situation.”
Hannabass also formerly served as the Oak Hill city manager. He said the city manager arranges meetings, hires personnel and advises Council behind the scenes.
He said the system leaves the mayor free to handle public life and to oversee meetings, making sure the rule of law is followed.
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Current Oak Hill Mayor Charles Briscoe, who is serving his first term in office, offered insights to Beckleyans.
“What Beckley has to look forward to, is, you’re going to have a strong Council,” said Mayor Briscoe. “If I were a seasoned politician, I probably wouldn’t like it, you know, because you don’t have as much control. As for me, most of my stuff is ceremonial.”
Mayor Briscoe said he finds the city manager helpful in administrative work, but said he does not prefer the form of government when compared to that of Beckley’s present government, that of a strong mayor.
“Personally, I don’t (prefer it,) I’d rather have a strong mayor,” said Mayor Briscoe. “That’s from a political standpoint.”
However, Hannabass said he prefers the city manager system and offered advice to Beckley Common Council members, who will eventually choose their town’s first manager.
“The city of Beckley, or any city, may want to look outside the city to hire someone that’s currently not a resident, that wants to move to Beckley and be a professional administrator,” advised Hannabass. “It is a profession.”
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Ward 3 Councilman Robert Dunlap, Marvin Robinson, Michael Smith and Matthew Lahn had registered as mayoral candidates on Friday, ahead of the Saturday, January 27, 2024, deadline.
The following candidates had also filed to run in the following races:
Ward 1: Tom Sopher, Natalie Coots, Kristin O’Neal
Ward 2: Bob Canter, Roy Redden, Sam Corey, Jeff McClung, Nancy Shumaker-Dingus
Ward 3: Frank Williams, Emily Tate, Tom Mosely, Arran Adams
Ward 4: Danielle Stewart, Keri Berry
Ward 5: Janine Bullock, Mary West, Tina Pannell, Kris Kincaid, Tim Berry
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