Local Elections & The Reality of Their Impact
After a recent fight in downtown Morgantown whereby cuts to police were evident, City Council will act and spend even more money on lawsuits.
Local elections matter and education about candidates also matter, they go hand in hand. If you want to make any difference it all starts locally by educating yourself about candidates, their backgrounds, views, and priorities, and voting. An engaged electorate turns out to vote, well beyond Morgantown’s 7.8% voter turnout in April 2021. A disengaged electorate runs the risk of policies that may not benefit the whole as a result of skewed politics.
Morgantown’s current city council members’ terms end in July, but that was not before they hired city manager, Kim Haws. Previously, Mr. Haws was city manager in Bridgeport, and his contract was not reinstated by Bridgeport’s city council.
Morgantown Police Department’s “bar detail” was recently cut by Haws. This financial reduction was made prior to the brawl that occurred in downtown Morgantown the weekend of May 9, 2021. Innocent bystanders were hurt and property was damaged. It’s no secret that downtown Morgantown changes after dark. As a college town, it’s a popular destination for revelry of both young and old audiences. However, it is drastically safer with police patrolling the streets.
The public should ask and rightly know, why Morgantown’s bar detail was cut? In 2020, Morgantown received CARES Act funds to bridge gaps and fill voids during as society recovers from the pandemic. All citizens, including those out for a stroll or on date, deserve to feel secure, and enjoy the night life in the town in which they live and pay taxes to afford.
On May 18, 2021, Morgantown city council considers a revised ordinance enacting a Civilian Police Review & Advisory Board (Download Agenda PDF) that is up for a public hearing and final reading, even though it may still violate state law. City council seems to be fine with not checking in with state authorities. The second, revised version was not sent to the West Virginia Attorney General to review. Multiple people with knowledge of the law participated in this committee. The local Mon-Preston Fraternal Order of Police (FOP #87) maintains the board is unlawful, and stands ready to sue the City of Morgantown should the “revised” Civilian Police Review Board be implemented.
This is how Morgantown’s tax dollars are being spent. Rather than investing funds to make Morgantown safer, city council and the city manager seem to want to defund those who keep us safe and challenge state law rather than seek to change it in the proper manner. Instead of keeping our town intact, the priority seems to be razing the establishment to the ground and filling attorneys pockets with more money.
Two of the seven candidates who were elected as part of Morgantown’s next city council also have plans to defund the police. Candidates signed a pledge for a New Deal for Morgantown with the “WV Can’t Wait” political action committee. One has to wonder where their “Can’t Wait” pledge ranks as it relates to their official pledge: their oath of office to uphold the constitutions of the United States and State of West Virginia, and Charter of the City of Morgantown. Time will tell.
