Mayor, five council members file for Martinsburg election

February 02, 2008|By MATTHEW UMSTEAD

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Martinsburg Mayor George Karos, five members of the city council and a resident of Ward I submitted candidacy papers Friday for the June 10 municipal election, City Recorder Sharon A. Flick said.

Friday was the first day that candidates could file for the election. Those who want to enter the election have until midnight Feb. 28 to submit filing fees, required petitions and certificates of announcement, Flick said.

Karos, 76, announced last summer that he would seek another four-year term as mayor. Karos first was elected in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004. Karos served on the city council for about 25 years, according to state records.

The five incumbent council members who filed Friday were:

· Gregg Wachtel, 54, who is a councilman at-large

· Dennis Etherington, 57, who represents Ward I

· Richard Yauger, 75, who represents Ward II

· Max Parkinson, 73, who represents Ward III

· Roger Lewis, 71, who represents Ward IV

Also filing Friday was Jason W. Baker, 25, who filed for the Ward I seat, Flick said.

As with the mayor, council members also are elected to four-year terms.

Wachtel is seeking a fourth term, and third as an at-large councilman, Lewis is seeking a third term and Yauger is seeking a fourth term. Parkinson was not immediately available to comment, but state records indicate he first served on council in the mid-1980s, then returned to council after a break in the 1990s.

Etherington was appointed last month to replace Shari Persad, who resigned in December. Baker never has run for city council, according to election records..

Candidacy filings for the city's municipal election may be delivered to Flick's office at 232 N. Queen St. If sent via mail, they must be postmarked before the Feb. 28 midnight deadline, Flick said.

Candidates for mayor must pay a $10 filing fee and submit a petition signed by 50 registered voters who reside in the city, according to a notice prepared by Flick.

Council candidates are required to pay a $2 fee and submit a petition signed by 25 registered voters who reside in the ward they are seeking. If seeking one of council's two at-large seats, candidates can obtain petition signatures citywide.

Petition forms and other necessary filing papers are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Flick's office, which is on the second floor of City Hall.

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