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Published Sunday, October 18, 2009 in Local

Former Sharpsburg Mayor Staley wants voters to return him to the job

By Alex McRae

The Times-Herald

Former Sharpsburg mayor and current mayoral candidate Wendell Staley was appointed mayor of Sharpsburg in 2003 when then Mayor David Mullins moved away. Staley served as mayor until 2008, then stepped down to run for a seat on the Sharpsburg Town Council. He was defeated by Polly Garlington.

"The next few years will be very challenging for all mayors and councils of any small town coming out of this recession," Staley said. "Businesses have struggled just to stay alive. Hopefully, many of the projects started during my first five years as mayor will make that recovery easier for our local business owners.

"Projects such as the paving of Main and Terrentine streets used grant money with very little cost to our town. The downtown intersection and sidewalk projects which greatly improved the beauty of our down town area should give the Old Town area a fighting chance to survive and prosper. Securing the grants of over $300,000 took hundreds of hours by the mayor, council and staff to accomplish.

"The improvements to the intersection of Highway 54 and McIntosh, with the addition of the traffic light and turn lanes in every direction, has greatly improved the safety and ease of traffic flow so desperately needed by our citizens, especially the children on the many school busses every morning and afternoon.

"During my first five years as mayor, we were able to provide additional services to the citizens, among these were garbage pickup and the Old Town Library. By providing these additional services, it made Sharpsburg eligible to share in the LOST funds. Until the addition of the town services these funds had never been available to Sharpsburg, but now these funds add greatly to our budget and to the quality of life for our citizens. To date over $374,000 has been brought in from LOST and should continue to add some $75,000 to $85,000 each year.

"If given the opportunity, by the vote of our citizens, to serve as your mayor again, the focus over the next term will be to continue the services already provided and to work hard to bring all within the town together for a common cause, the cause of a quiet peaceful community which will be the envy of large towns and cities with their hustle and bustle. Whether you live in Wellsburg Station, Sunset Drive, Williams Circle, Old Town or anywhere within the town, come to the meetings, share your ideas and dreams of what a peaceful town should be. Together we will make it happen.

"Be an informed voter; look at the record, not hearsay. Seek and Find the Truth."