Ginger DeWitt still wonders why.
It’s been more than a month since four of seven members of the Moundsville City Council voted down the chance to place an OVRTA Bus Levy on the municipality’s November 5th ballot
It was on Tuesday, June 18th, when council members Randy Chamberlain (At Large), Judy Hunt (Ward 1), Eugene Saunders (Ward 3), and David Wood (Ward 2) voted against the ballot placement. Mayor Sara Wood-Shaw (At-Large), Brianna Hickman (At-Large), and DeWitt (Ward 4) voted in favor.
“I just know I voted ‘Yes’ because I believe every citizen has a voice and that they have a right for their voices to be heard on Election Day,” DeWitt explained. “I think it was confusing to a lot of people and no matter how many times it was explained, a lot of them thought it was going to be on the ballot no matter what. But that’s not how it works with tax levies and our (West Virginia) state code, and down it went.
“I’ve wondered why (the four Council colleagues) didn’t want it on the ballot so the residents could vote for it, but I haven’t figured that out yet. They kept saying there was no ridership, but there were statistics in May that indicated there were riders,” she said. “The worst part was that so many residents came forward afterward who felt slighted by the vote because they believe it should have been on the ballot.”
Emails requesting each of the four councilors to explain their respective reasons behind their “No” votes were sent to each on June 23rd, and no replies have been received. A FOIA Request was filed with the City Clerk and City Manager offices requesting information pertaining to connected communication and distribution of information that involved the proposed levy. Both City Clerk Sondra Hewitt and City Manager Rick Healy have acknowledged receipt.
“I do know Dave Wood’s reason for voting against putting the bus levy on the ballot because he stated it during the (June 18) Council meeting, but I do not know the reasons the other members voted against,” DeWitt said. “Dave Wood was for it in the beginning, but then he rode the bus to Wheeling and back, and there were no riders on those trips.
“As long as I have known Dave Wood – and he was my sixth grade teacher – I’ve known him to be very thorough, so after riding it with no one else, he explained he thought it wouldn’t be a benefit to the citizens,” she said. “He said he didn’t want to see the taxpayers to pay for a service that wouldn’t be utilized.”
According to official information provided by Moundsville’s city manager, OVRTA’s trial run from Wheeling to Moundsville attracted 375 total riders in May, the first month of the service. The statistics also indicate about 40 percent of the passengers were seniors, and that patrons rode the bus on 22 of the 27 days transport was available.
“One thing that Mr. (Randy) Chamberlain said was that only 1 percent of Moundsville residents would use the bus service and he didn’t want to see the taxpayers pay for only 1 percent,” DeWitt remembered. “I’m still not sure how he could make that estimate on the ridership, though. If I couldn’t say 99 percent would use the bus, how can he say only 1 percent would?
“But that’s not the only inaccurate thing he said during the weeks leading up to the vote,” she said. “He kept saying it cost a lot of money to put the levy on the November ballot, and that simply wasn’t true. It wouldn’t have cost the city a dime. Not a dime, so that was misinformation, too.”
DeWitt has represented residents on the southern end Moundsville for a little more than 15 years, and she doesn’t remember an issue that’s attracted so much attention.
“We’ve not had anything as controversial as the bus levy during my years on Council, that’s for sure,” DeWitt reported. “When the bus levy came up this time, I didn’t think there would be such strong feelings on Council to keep the levy off the ballot. I think some (social media) posts that were made were intended, in my belief, to induce panic among the tax-paying citizens in Moundsville.
“There were incorrect numbers shared and incorrect statements made, and I know Mr. (Randy) Chamberlain was posting against it for several weeks before the vote,” she said. “Mr. Chamberlain seemed against (placing the bus levy on the November ballot) from the very first meeting when OVRTA came to Council. He kept saying it was an orchestrated meeting.”
The General Election ballot on November 5th will include a plethora of races, including U.S. President, U.S. Senate, Governor of West Virginia, Marshall County Commissioner, and even the four council races in Moundsville.
But not the OVRTA Busy Levy.
“When I first decided to run for council it was because I wanted to serve the people and be a voice for the people,” DeWitt explained. “So, on the levy, it was easy for me. Give the people their voice.”
