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E-mail highlights divide over Monongalia County annexation denial

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — “It’s business as usual,” according to Granville Town Administrator Ron Snyder in regards to the controversy surrounding an e-mail he sent that was seen by a number of Monongalia County employees.

Snyder appeared on Morgantown AM Friday morning to explain why he and Monongalia County Commissioners either were — or weren’t, if you ask him — at loggerheads over an e-mail he sent claiming he had “cut all ties with those people.” That was an apparent reference to the County Commissioners who denied Granville’s request to annex 118 acres of land into the city limits.

“It was a joke,” Snyder said. “And it went out. I mean, how ridiculous does that sound?”

The e-mail was in response to Michael Ellis of West TV. Ellis films County Commission meetings and uploads them to YouTube several days later for public consumption. After Ellis sent Snyder a copy of the link to the September 13, 2017 meeting, Snyder’s response — a ‘reply all’ response — launched the controversy.

“Mike you can stop sending me the videos of the commission meeting I along with the town of granville have cut all ties with those people they can take care of the county and we will take care of granville”

The above is the actual e-mail obtained by WAJR of the exchange between Ellis and Snyder.

At the September 13 meeting, Commissioners released a universal order explaining why they unanimously rejected Granville’s proposed minor boundary adjustment for 118 acres of land near University Town Centre in Monongalia County. That order explained that the Commissioners looked at seven criteria for a minor boundary adjustment. They claimed that Granville’s request didn’t meet the criteria. Now Snyder believes his response is being blown out of proportion.

“All I did was tell Mike Ellis I didn’t want the videos anymore, and it kind of got out to everybody,” Snyder said.

Snyder simultaneously departed from a number of county boards and commissions he was serving on prior to the County Commission’s decision to reject the minor boundary adjustment request.

“I have a very busy schedule, and that took up a lot of time,” Snyder said. “And I’m sure whenever my schedule slows down, I will re-engage in some of this stuff. But as of right now, I just don’t have the time.”

He claims neither the e-mail or his resignations from county boards are related to the annexation issue.

“I’m obviously disappointed in it, but we’ve got a big county to run, and we’ve got to get back to business,” Snyder said.

The annexation of that land, which included several businesses in the area of University Town Centre, was the catalyst for two projects that the Granville Volunteer Fire Department had strongly endorsed in the town. Those projects — a SafeTown center for the town’s children and a training facility for first responders — are now in limbo. Snyder said they can’t invest money in projects with no place for them within the city limits.

“I’m pretty much over it,” Snyder said. “It was presented. It was denied. I’m waiting on the response from the county and it will be shown to elected officials, and if they want to do something maybe they’ll vote to do something. If not, we’re going to move on. I mean, we have to move on.”

As of Friday morning, Snyder said the town of Granville had not yet received an official copy of the Commission order detailing why they denied the minor boundary adjustment.

WAJR has received an official copy of the order released by Commission. Read that here.





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