The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE — Jeff Irvine was appointed as mayor of Clifton Forge Wednesday night. The vice mayor is Pam Marshall.
Irvine received the required majority of three votes in the second round of voting as council organized for 2019.
The other nominees for mayor were Marshall, Councilman David Oeltjen and Ron Goings.
In the initial round of voting, Irvine and Marshall deadlocked at two, while Oeltjen received one vote.
On the second vote, the deadlock was broken when Marshall voted in favor of Irvine.
There was less drama in the vote for vice mayor with Marshall winning the appointment by a 4-1 vote. Goings voted no.
Goings said he felt all five council members qualify for the office of mayor.
He said the mayor of Clifton Forge needs to be someone who truly wants to represent the town and its people. The mayor, he said, also needs to keep the positive momentum going that Clifton Forge has experienced in recent years.
“This is not a job where we need to draft people or anything like that,” said Goings, who along with Marshall, was elected to council in November.
But resident John Moser criticized council’s practice of appointing the mayor and vice mayor. Moser called for Clifton Forge’s charter to be changed so that voters elect the mayor.
“That way we can hold the town accountable for what is going on,” said Moser.
Moser, a Church Street resident, said council needs to be held more accountable for its handling of tax revenues.
“There is a lot of money coming in here from taxes and I?don’t see where the town is doing anything good with it,” he said.
Joan Vannorsdall of the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors attended Wednesday’s meeting and expressed her desire to work with council and help the entire Alleghany Highlands move forward in a positive direction.
“May we do this with transparency and integrity,” said Vannorsdall, who represents the Clifton Forge East District.
Vannorsdall said she will hold monthly meetings at the Clifton Forge Public Library in an effort to hear from constituents.
The meetings will be held the second Tuesday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon in the library’s Armstrong Community Room.
Council took a step Wednesday aimed at drawing more attention to Clifton Forge by endorsing a resolution asking the Virginia General Assembly to designate the Virginia Opry as Virginia’s official opry.
“This would be a big, big bonus to Clifton Forge because they could market that as a tourist attraction,” said Ray Allen, president of Appalfolks of America Association.
Appalfolks sponsors the Virginia Opry, which will soon begin its 28th year of performances at the Historic Masonic Theatre.
“I?think this has been a long time coming,” Councilman Bob Umstead. “Mr. Allen, I thank you for all of the work you have put into it.”
Town Manager Darlene Burcham said rehabilitation work on the lower end of Roxbury Street is continuing and she expects homes designated for improvements to be under contract within the next few days.
The project is being funded by a Virginia Community Development Block Grant.
Burcham noted that William Persinger, a member of a committee that worked with the town on the project, died recently.
“We are saddened by his loss,” Burcham said.
Burcham said the town is working to address the growing opioid epidemic by training its firefighters and police officers to administer Narcan, which is a nasal spray used to reverse overdoses. The training will be complete by today.
“We want to make sure our people are trained and capable of responding in an immediate fashion,” Burcham said.
Town offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 21, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
A Martin Luther King Legacy Walk will he held on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 3 p.m. The walk will begin at the A Street Bridge and end at the Masonic Theatre, where a program will be held.
