The Shadow
Welcome back, Shadowers! The Highlands are officially decked out in holiday cheer, and while I survived Thanksgiving, my waistband did not—apparently, I can gain 10 pounds just by thinking about the dessert table. I’m sure you were all goodie two shoes and didn’t gain an ounce.
Seems some wheels have come off the tracks over in Iron Gate. Last week, Mayor Gary Craig surprised us all by announcing his resignation at the town council’s regular meeting on Nov. 27. Understandably, Craig stated the reason was that he was burned out and needed a break. With just over a month left until the new Mayor Persinger is sworn in, Craig did say that he would be available to help with whatever’s needed. Thank you Mayor, you get a well deserved pat on the back for your years of service to the community.
During the meeting, Craig also read a resignation letter from Chuck Unroe, announcing his immediate departure as Zoning Administrator for the Town of Iron Gate. Iron Gate’s gone through some hard times this year, but hopefully, Mayor-Elect Persinger can quickly take the reigns and get things back on track starting in January.
Clifton Forge voted Jeff Irvine back in as their Mayor, so it’ll be interesting to see what he has in store for us in 2025.
Covington’s election was the most interesting of the three, with the mayor’s seat up for grabs from the ousting of Tom Sibold. With two new council members and three that have typically voted along the lines of whatever the Mayor and Vice Mayor wanted, I’d love to be a fly on the wall during those jockeying conversations on who’s going to be tapped to be the next Mayor.
Oh wait, I do have a spider spy network in the room. Let’s see if my guess will be accurate come this January.
Also over in Covington, Small Business Coordinator Terri McClung appears to have misread her job title. Last I checked, “coordinator” didn’t mean “queen of the small business realm,” wielding her scepter to decide which businesses are worthy of her royal favor, or not. Her job is about assisting all small businesses, whether she personally likes them or not. However, McClung seems to have rebranded herself as the town’s self-appointed gatekeeper, complete with a velvet rope and a clipboard.
Apparently, back in Civics class, McClung must’ve been too busy scribbling with her “Game of Thrones” empire-builder crayon set to actually learn how government works. Fast forward to today, and she’s apparently crowned herself ruler of Covington, pulling a bold power play by placing herself squarely above State and Federal Law.
Maybe it’s time for the City Attorney to stop sipping eggnog and have a frank conversation with McClung about a couple of things like, oh, the Law. Ignoring Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and blocking taxpayers from a public Facebook page is not just petty—it’s flat-out illegal on multiple State and Federal Levels.
Speaking of small businesses, the 2025 Gauntlet program from the Advancement Foundation is now open and available for all new startups and expanding businesses. With the incredible success of Covington’s participants last year winning the top prizes, I encourage all entrepreneurs to apply. I heard the Virginian Review has decided to enter this year’s program as well. Just head over to the Advancement Foundation’s website to find out how to enter.
Recently, the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of a tract of land for $1.79M over in Cliftondale Park, though it seems everyone is keeping tight lips on what it is actually going to be used for. There are several projects now being moved stealthily around the Highlands involving economic development, including authorizing a bond to refinance a $3 million line of credit to finance the City of Covington’s share of cost at the Allegheny Regional Commerce Center. Hopefully it’ll be amazing, and will enrich the community with new opportunities.
From the mailbag, one shadower wrote in with a very interesting observation. The Shadower writes, “Consider this—-CF is doing everything by itself that Covington does by paying $60K to be a part of Main Street America (MSA). Jeff and Shorty [Clifton Forge Council members] were reelected, and David and Tom [Covington Council members] were shown the door. CF has the McConnell building and Cov has 410 on Main. Both have breweries. CF has Masonic Theatre, whereas Cov allowed the part of Hotel Collins that they owned to deteriorate over the 12 years of Tom and David’s tenure. Both have libraries and pocket parks. Covington has the Discovery Center CF has the Railroad Heritage Center.”
“CF has enforcement to keep unoccupied properties on Main St looking tidy, whereas Covington has a couple of buildings in the downtown area that are disgraceful. Both have antique/consignment/etc shops. Both have eateries. Both have print and sign shops. Both have outdoor trails and parks. Both are applying for and receiving grant funding. CF is doing it without MSA accreditation. Why waste the money on it? Between AHED and the AHCC, economic development and marketing should be covered. Why pay for redundancy? The real answer is nothing because CF is still getting it done, and, in some instances, much better. Save the $60,000 and engage the citizens. Watch what happens.”
Remember, tonight is when the Covington City Council said it was going to decide on the AHCSB Crisis Receiving Center (CRC) project, so it should be an interesting council session. The Virginian Review will livestream the event.
Last week, the Boys Home Christmas Tree Farm opened for its 31st season. As you might remember, Joanne Tannehill left her Augusta County tree farm for the Boys Home as a teaching and learning experience for students. The Boys Home Christmas Tree Farm is maintained throughout the year by the Christmas tree farm manager and students. If you’re looking to get a tree this year, make it a special one by buying it from the Boys Home, as lots of TLC has gone into that tree. The opening dates and times for the farm are December 7-8 and December 14-15 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Santa will be available for photos on December 7 and 8 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
This week’s pat on the back goes to the Christmas Mother and all of her volunteers for making it happen. Mary Sue Smith (photo on far right) picked up over 30 blankets donated by the community from the Virginian Review last week. Thanks to everyone for pitching in for the Christmas mother!
I’m out of time and out of coffee, but my present to you this holiday season is a quote from Mark Twain. If you struggle with the typical seasonal blues that this time of year brings, “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.”
