Following a few decades in the pharmaceutical industry, Kathryn Thalman was looking forward to those “golden years” after her retirement.
But that didn’t last very long because she believed selling the city’s water service to Aqua Ohio “smelled funny.” Thalman launched a campaign to be become St. Clairsville’s mayor, and she actually won over an incumbent who had stirred the city toward the water sale.
Now, nearly 10 months into her term, despite some citizen push-back, a coronavirus pandemic, and the electronic council meetings, and having to work from home for a few months, she feels progress has been made to improve the quality of life within the municipality.
“In the very beginning, it was like I entered a spooky forest, to be honest, but I feel as if I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Thalman explained. “We’re getting some things done, though, and that’s a great thing. But it does feel as if we have had a biblical year because we’ve had COVID-19 and the pandemic, and we have even had a tornado warning during a football game, but somehow we’re working through it all.
“I’ve never been involved with politics before, so I guess I didn’t know what to expect, especially at this level,” she said. “But I have learned quickly, and I am very pleased that we have a service director (Jeremy Greenwood) on board, and our water issues are starting to come together really well. We even found out that there is 2,000 feet of water pipe that was installed by the county, but we didn’t know about it until recently. That’s very good news for the city of St. Clairsville.”
Hearing Then Fixing
Just as most communities in the Upper Ohio Valley hav experienced, some residents have had flooding in their St. Clairsville homes following torrential downpours that drop more rain than can safely drain without sewer line backups taking place.
It occurred in multiple neighborhoods in Wheeling over the summer months, and in other areas of Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, and Belmont counties, as well. Stormwater separation has been mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and Thalman is aware the clock is ticking.
“The people of St. Clairsville have been wonderful to me, and many of them will do anything they can to help the city. I think that’s what a good city needs to move forward,” Thalman said. “That’s why I feel very blessed to live in a town like St. Clairsville. Of course, there are some disgruntled people, but we do our best to work with them and with the issues that they have.
“But I believe most of the people are buying in and can see how we can all move forward in the future,” she continued. “Now, we still have some issues when we experience really hard rain, but we are working on that every day. I know people want things done yesterday, and I understand that, and that is why it continues to be addressed and studied.”
Frontlines
The mayor of St. Clairsville is a most pleasant person who appreciates cooperative conversation, teamwork, and problem solving, but if something or someone riles her, Thalman’s persistent smile vanishes because of determination.
It is a trait she believes she inherited from her father, a man who was graduated from U.S. Naval Academy and who served the country in the American military.
“I am willing to step up and lead from the front, and I think a lot of our residents see that, and they appreciate it,” Thalman said “Sure, there’s been some residents who have pushed back for whatever reasons, and that’s OK because that’s their right. We’re just concentrated on the things that we can do to fix the problems we have now, and to prepare the city of St. Clairsville for the future.
“Now, with COVID-19, some things have proven to be very difficult,” she said. “In the middle of March, we decided to close our municipal building to the foot traffic, and most of us worked from home for a while because of the severity of the situation. And I am being very cautious myself because I’m now 65 years old, and I am diabetic. In other words, I don’t want that virus.”
For the People
Thalman knew some folks in St. Clairsville, but her career entailed a lot of travel time.
That certainly has changed since January.
“The best part about being in this position is that we are getting things done and that we are working through the water situation,” Thalman said. “That’s the main reason why I decided to run to be mayor because selling our water just didn’t seem like a good idea for our city. The fact that we are making a lot of progress now makes me very happy.
“Plus, I have made so many new friends, and I have met many more that I never knew before becoming the mayor. I’ve enjoyed that a lot,” she said. “But I will admit that I still have thin skin. It’s getting thicker with every day, but some of the stuff I see on the Internet does make me angry, and I want to lash back. But I have learned that someone in this position should not do that and that they should stay above all of it. So, I am learning; that’s for sure.”
