Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe says he believes his city on the right track.
“If you’ve been to Huntington recently, I think you’ve seen a drastic change,” Mayor Wolfe says of the results of his work over the past four years. He is running for a second term as Mayor in the November General Election.
“I don’t think we want to stop the train to change the engineer and staff and workers. I think we’re moving positively on this track. Let’s keep the momentum going,” Wolfe said of his reelection bid.
Since taking office, he says more than 600 new jobs have been created in Huntington, crime has dropped 40%, dilapidated homes have been taken down by the dozens, roads have been paved every year and parts of Huntington have started seeing more economic growth.
Wolfe, 63, says there is still more to do, though. “I think the job is not finished and I think another term would solidify where we’re going and where we want to go,” he said.
The Democrat Mayoral candidate, though, says he thinks Huntington can do better.
“We have had some successes over the last couple of years, but not nearly at the level that I think we’re capable of being,” Steve Williams, 56, tells MetroNews.
“Over the last 50 years, we’ve been mired in decline and, with all that we have at Marshall University, certainly a beautiful city on the Ohio River, the resources that we have available to us here, I believe my leadership will be able to help us see heights of success that we’ve only dreamed about in the past.”
Since 2009, Williams has served as an at large member of Huntington’s City Council. He is a licensed stock broker and has worked, in the past, with Chase Bank, Citizens Bank and Huntington Banks.
From 1987 to 1994, he was a member of the state House of Delegates, representing Cabell County and Wayne County, was Huntington’s City Manager from 1984-1985 and worked as Huntington’s Director of Economic Development in 1984.
Williams says Huntington officials need to work more with Marshall University, encourage more economic investment and find ways to bring people back into city limits.
“We need to demand that Huntington become an exceptional city,” he said.
Before being elected Mayor four years ago, Wolfe served as Cabell County’s Sheriff for two terms. Prior to that, he was a member of the Huntington Police Department from 1974 to 2000.
Arnie “Dino” Battista, 65, who worked for 30 years at Chapman Printing, is also running for Mayor in Huntington as an Independent.
The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, October 16th. Early voting begins on Wednesday, October 24th. The November General Election is Tuesday, November 6th.