Published: January 29, 2008 11:56 am      

Nine on ballot for Keyser posts

KEYSER - Nine candidates will be on the ballot when the City of Keyser holds its primary election on April 8.

That's the most names Keyser has had on a municipal ballot since 1998.

City Administrator Deborah Pamepinto announced Monday that Isaac "Sonny" Alt, Jim Endler, Ed Miller, Roger C. Newlin, William "Sonny" Rhodes, Marques Rice, Gary Simmons, Stephen Smoot and Dave Sowers will be vying for the right to run for three and maybe four seats in the general election in June.

It promises to be one of the city's most unique - and perhaps confusing - elections in history.

"If the council doesn't appoint anyone to fill the one empty seat before the election, there will be four seats open," Pamepinto said.

If the city officials do choose to appoint someone to fill the seat left empty by George Chidester's resignation on Aug. 27, however, the voters will be casting their ballots for three council positions.

Two of the three positions are those currently held by Rice and Sally Burnside.

Burnside, who has served on the council for the past 10 years and first ran when the field of candidates numbered 10, announced Jan. 14 that she would not be running for re-election.

The other seat is a new position created by the ordinance passed Jan, 8, which expands the present three-member council to five.

The city will therefore be governed by a four-member council until the fifth position is added in the 2009 election.

Whether there are three or four positions to fill, the voters will narrow the field of candidates down to four people in the primary election.

If there are four positions to fill when the general election rolls around on June 10, the four chosen in the primary will automatically be on the council.

If there are three positions to fill, however, the voters will narrow the field of candidates from four to three when they go to the polls in June.

With both Rice and City Attorney Cody Pancake suggesting that an election would be the best way to handle getting someone to fill Chidester's seat, it seems unlikely the council will be appointing anyone prior to the election.

"If something doesn't get resolved in the near future, my suggestion would be that the council hold a special election," Pancake told the council in December.

Contact Liz Beavers at lbeavers@times-news.com.