Published: April 04, 2008 11:08 am         

Endler a Keyser council candidate

Editor's note: James Endler submitted this announcement for his candidacy.

KEYSER, W.Va. - I am James A. Endler Sr. and I am announcing my candidacy for the Keyser City Council.

I have watched with some interest the issues that have apparently divided two City Council members, effectively freezing many actions, after a third council member resigned last summer.

Like many of you, I waited for the vacant council seat to be filled. When the mayor and council called for anyone interested in the position to step forward, I was surprised that very few seemed to be interested. After some consideration, I decided I would.

The council still could not agree on someone to fill the seat, so I have chosen to seek it through the election process.

I was pleased the mayor and council were able to agree to expand the council because perhaps more diverse and varied opinions discussed among the officials will bring about a more cohesive government.

I would like to be part of that government and serve the city that has been my home for the last 19 years.

I was born in Akron, Ohio, and grew up in Mount Storm. Except for 21 years in the U.S. Army, from which I retired in 1977, I have been a lifelong resident of West Virginia.

I served as a deputy sheriff in Mineral County for 21 years, retiring from that position in 2000. I continue to belong to the Raymond E. Dawson Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, serving as a trustee on the state board, and I am a member the West Virginia Deputy Sheriff's Association.

In 2000, I opened my business, Endler Investigations, which is located in Grand Central Business Center in the city of Keyser.

I belong to the Keyser Rotary Club and served as past president. I serve as chairman of the Dictionary Committee of the club that gives dictionaries to every fourth-grader in the county each fall. I also participate in club fundraisers that support many organizations in the county, including Boy Scouts, the Family Crisis Center, Highland Arts Unlimited, the United Methodist Children's Home at Burlington, American Field Service and others.

I am married to Mona Ridder-Endler.

There are a number of issues the newly formed five-member City Council will need to address. These include an aging infrastructure, the need to expand services to some areas, economic development on Main Street and other areas.

There is one issue, however, that needs to be addressed immediately, and that is to put an end to continuing speculation over whether current and/or prior city officials acted improperly or illegally.

An investigation by the West Virginia State Police has been ongoing for nearly three years. That investigation to date has resulted in no charges, though authorities continue to say there will be charges eventually. If those charges are going to be filed, it needs to be done immediately so that the questions can be answered and the concerns resolved.

We need to deal with this issue, get it behind us and move forward.

The voters have the power to help the city accomplish that by electing people who want to steer a new course into the future focusing on growth and service to its citizens.