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Elections
The elected offices in the City of Elkins are the mayor and council members. Elections are held on the first Tuesday of March in every odd year. For information on the 2019 election, click here.
Mayors
Mayors are elected to a two-year term. Mayors appear on the ballot in all five city wards at every election.
Council Members
Council members are elected to four-year terms. Two council members are elected from each of the city’s five wards, for a total of 10 council members. The two council members from each ward are elected to staggered terms, so that only one member from each ward faces election at each biannual election.
However, if a sitting council member has been appointed to that seat, rather than elected (e.g., to fill a vacancy caused by a resignation), that council member must appear on the ballot at the next election. As a result, it can sometimes happen that both council members from one ward can be on the ballot at the same time, one running for election to an “unexpired term” (i.e., to finish the term of the member who was appointed), and one running for reelection to a full term.
Voter Registration
Although the city runs its own elections, the city does not maintain any voter registration records. Please contact either the Randolph County Clerk or the West Virginia Secretary of State with questions about your registration.
Additional Information
In advance of each election, we will announce additional information concerning candidates, polling places, voting and absentee balloting rules, and other details.
Please contact the city clerk, the city’s chief elections officer, with any questions about Elkins elections.
Elkins City Clerk
Jessica R. Sutton
jsutton@cityofelkinswv.com
Phone: (304) 636-1414, ext. 1211
401 Davis Avenue, Elkins, WV, 26241
Municipal Election Filing Period Opens
The City of Elkins municipal elections are held every two years on the first Tuesday in March per the City Charter. As was announced with the Call of the Election at the council meeting on October 10th, the next election is March 5, 2019 and the filing period for those interested in running for a ward seat or the mayoral seat opened today. Candidates may file in person with the Elkins City Clerk during regular business hours from now until November 16, 2018. A filing fee of $25 for council or $50 for mayor is required at the time of filing. There are five council seats, one in each of the five wards, and the seat for mayor up for election this March. Candidates must be residents of the ward in which they file, or within any ward of the city to file for the mayor’s position. Candidacy may only be announced for one open position. The City Clerk’s office is open 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, the Clerk maintains a regular work schedule during this time so please be aware that you may have to wait or return if the Clerk is not immediately available. If you wish to make an appointment or have questions, please call Jessica Sutton, City Clerk, at 304.636.1414 ext. 1211.
More information on election guidelines and candidates will be available soon.
2019 Municipal Election Candidates
The 2019 Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. For general information about the election (polling place locations, absentee and early voting procedures, etc.), please click here. Below is a list of all candidates for office in the 2019 municipal election.
The deadline for official write-in candidates is January 15, 2019; W. Va. state law does not permit the counting of election day write-in votes. In uncontesed races, the incumbents will automatically be elected to new terms.
Mayor
Van Broughton (incumbent; unopposed)
First Ward
Judy Guye (challenger)
Phillips B. Kolsun (challenger)
Bob Woolwine (incumbent)
Second Ward
G. Michael Hinchman (challenger)
Carrie Shupp (challenger)
Third Ward
Christopher Chad Lowther (incumbent; unopposed)
Fourth Ward
Marilynn D. Cuonzo (incumbent; unopposed)
Fifth Ward
Howard P. Knapp II (challenger)
Joe Sabatino (challenger)
Robin Spicer (challenger)
Linda H. Vest (incumbent)
Office of the City Clerk
Welcome to the web page for the Office of the City Clerk of Elkins, West Virginia.
West Virginia Code, the Elkins City Charter, and Elkins City Code assign a variety of duties to the Elkins city clerk.
The clerk’s primary duties are to provide procedural and research support for the legislative process, maintain official records of council proceedings, serve as the liaison between council and the public, administer city elections, and administer the civil service hiring process for the police and fire departments. The clerk also supervises the Office of External Affairs.
Other duties include: serving as mayor in the mayor’s absence or inability to serve; responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests; providing project management support for city planning operations; issuing zoning forms for alcoholic beverage license applications; providing administrative and other support to the city’s boards and commissions; administering oaths of office; and accepting legal service of documents in court proceedings involving the city.
The following links provide more information about certain specific functions of the clerk’s office.
- City Council Meetings, Minutes and Agendas
- Civil Service Hiring
- Elkins City Code
- Open Government (including Freedom of Information Act requests)
- Alcoholic Beverage Licensing
- Planning
- Addressing
- Elections
For deeds, wills, liens, and birth/death/marriage records, please consult the Randolph County Clerk.
Elkins City Clerk
Jessica R. Sutton
jsutton@cityofelkinswv.com
Phone: (304) 636-1414, ext. 1211
401 Davis Avenue, Elkins, WV, 26241
City Council
Elkins City Council (referred to in the city’s charter as “Elkins Common Council”) consists of ten members, two from each of the city’s five wards. Members are elected to four-year, staggered terms, such that one member from each ward faces reelection at each of the city’s biannual elections. (Elections are held on the first Tuesday of March in each odd-numbered year).
The mayor is elected on a separate ballot and presides over council meetings, although he or she may only vote in the event of a tie. The mayor does not have the authority to veto council action. In the absence or disability of the mayor, the city clerk performs any necessary mayoral duties.
Council exercises ultimate corporate authority over the Elkins government. Among other things, council has the authority to:
- Determine city laws, rules, and regulations concerning, traffic, law and order, public works, and finance (this is only a partial list);
- Appoint and remove the city’s five administrative officers (city clerk, city treasurer, fire chief, operations manager, and police chief);
- Appoint and remove the city attorney and municipal judge;
- Adopt the budget, levy taxes, collect revenues, and make appropriations;
- Authorize the issuance of bonds by a bond ordinance;
- Establish administrative departments, offices and agencies;
- Appoint members of the city boards, commissions and authorities;
- Inquire into the conduct of any office, department, or agency of the city and make investigations into municipal affairs;
- Provide for an independent audit; and
- Provide for the number, titles, qualifications, powers, duties, and compensation of all officers and employees of the city.
To ensure common goals for all employees and effective use of city resources, council has adopted the City of Elkins 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. Learn more here.
For information about council meetings, agendas, and meeting minutes, please click here.
For contact and term information about each council member, please click here.
For more information, contact:
Elkins City Clerk
Jessica R. Sutton
jsutton@cityofelkinswv.com
Phone: (304) 636-1414, ext. 1211
401 Davis Avenue, Elkins, WV, 26241