The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism held a meet and greet for the candidates who are running unopposed for the Iron Gate Town Council seats on Wed., Oct. 12.
Susan Knick, an employee of the Chamber, presided over the meet and greet, and she thanked those present for attending and invited each member of the Iron Gate Town Council to make an opening statement.
Gary Craig said that he is running for mayor now that Chuck Unroe has announced that he will no longer seek reelection.
Craig is from Montgomery, W.Va., and he moved to the Alleghany Highlands more than 20 years ago to work for CSX. He is retired medically through the Veterans Administration.
Craig said that the growth of the community is important, and he praised the Town of Iron Gate for its friendly residents.
“Here everybody looks out for everybody,” Craig remarked.
Richard Erskine, the vice-mayor of Iron Gate, is from Rainelle, W.Va., and he came to Alleghany Co. in 1966 to work for Hercules.
Erskine retired from the Clifton Forge-Waynesboro Telephone Company in 2002, and he has been a resident of Iron Gate since 1990.
He noted that the Town of Iron Gate’s most pressing need is to improve the infrastructure.
Erskine observed, “Both the sewer system and the water system need improvement.”
Councilwoman Debbie Harris, moved from New Jersey to Fincastle in Botetourt County where she worked for a nonprofit organization before moving to Iron Gate 18 months ago.
She said, “I love this little town, and I am happy to serve our community.”
Councilwoman Kawahna Persinger, whose family moved to the Alleghany Highlands from Dayton, Ohio when she was eight, worked as an employee for the Town of Clifton Forge recently before retiring to take a 7,000 mile trip across country.
Traveling alone, she visited Mount Rushmore and drove to Oregon and down the Pacific Coast to Hollywood and back.
She said, “There are people coming here, and we need businesses here and in the Alleghany Highlands.”
Following the public comment session, Persinger admitted that she is rapidly tiring of being retired.
In response to a question about the loss of Parker-Hannifin, the Town of Iron Gate’s only factory, Craig, responded, “The Town took a hit when Parker Hannifin left because it was the only reliable employer.”
Parker-Hannifin is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and it is the global leader in motion technologies.
As for the Parker-Hannifin property on the east side of the Jackson River in Iron Gate, Craig revealed that Tommy Garten, a well-known businessman in Covington, has purchased the property and that Garten’s intention concerning the property remains unknown.
Following a question by Knick concerning the Neighborhood Watch, a discussion ensued concerning the possibility of restoring the Neighborhood Watch in conjunction with the residents of Wesgate who live in Alleghany County on the hill above the Town of Iron Gate.
Erskine noted that about 10 showed up for a recent meeting for the purpose of reestablishing the Neighborhood Watch.
Concerning the Neighborhood Watch prior to the pandemic, he recalled, “We had a lot of senior citizens, and they’re not with us anymore.”
“After losing members, it kind of went to the wayside, and hopefully we can get younger people to get involved,” Erskine added.
Persinger noted that robocalls now let people know what is going on and that COVID-19 came along to interrupt the Neighborhood Watch’s meetings.
She surmised, “It’s a good thing for neighbors to help keep eyes on things while their neighbors are away.”
Craig observed, “We need younger people to get involved, but we live in a thumbin’ world.”
“They’re either thumbin’ (on their hand held devices) or on their videos,” he concluded.
Without any opposition on Tues., Nov. 8, Iron Gate will move forward with those present at the meet and greet to address the issues discussed, to work together to improve infrastructure and to attract new businesses in order to make up for the jobs lost when Parker-Hannifin closed its plant and moved all of its machinery to Mexico many years ago.
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