May 2013
15 posts
4 tags
Trying To Make Sense Of Local Controversy (Tom...
Good luck following this story about Tom Bloom, the Board of Education, and the County Commission. It isn’t that it is poorly written. It’s simply that it gets to be so confusing that it becomes almost impossible to track.
As I understand it, this is what happened:
1. Tom Bloom ran against Joe Statler for a seat on the County Commission.
2. This county’s old guard...
2 tags
3 tags
3 tags
All Praises To The Monongahela River
A friend of this site’s - the esteemed Evan Fedorko, whose available on both Twitter and Instagram - wrote the following about the Monongahela River:
I generally try to avoid self-aggrandizing and passive aggressive Facebook posts, but I have a favor to ask. In recent history I have posted a number of photos of fish that I’ve caught from the Monongahela River. At nearly every turn,...
2 tags
6 tags
Cooking Ramp Slurry
From mid-April to mid-May, the most glorious of the onion family grows on the wet hillsides of West Virginia (and several other, lesser states): ramps. Ramps are a delicacy that aren’t for everyone. Those steering clear include weaklings, children, cowards, the gutless, and other assorted weenies who can’t deal with this wild onion’s particular potency. And they are potent....
5 tags
3 tags
3 tags
3 tags
2 tags
4 tags
Why I Like Morgantown (Percy)
Last night, I got a frantic call from friends: their dog Percy had a run-in with another dog, slipped his collar, and bolted into the night. They were obviously worried. So I hopped in my car and headed down the hill into Greenmont to help them look. Other friends joined us as we searched.
We went up and down the alleys and the streets of the neighborhood. Greenmont is one of the more interesting...
We know who won, but what will be the outcome?
(Photo Illustration credit: Walt Sarkees) I have to say, last night’s City Council results are pretty exciting. That said, there is a big difference between running a campaign and actually governing so there’s no need to get ahead of ourselves. If the Morgantown Together PAC’s big victory last night leads to the following two outcomes, I think the city will be well-served and...
2 tags
Morgantown City Council's Voter Turnout Is...
Voter turnout is almost certain to be lost in the celebratory mood following last night’s electoral outcome. It shouldn’t be. Voter participation dropped by more than 40 percent last night, returning Morgantown to its recently pathetic historical averages.
In 2011, more than 3600 citizens voted in City Council elections. In 2013, roughly 2000 did. If you’re wondering if that...
17 tags
Morgantown Together Goes 5-5, Retakes Council...
I thought I was being brave when I predicted Morgantown Together going 4-5 in this year’s City Council Elections. I was apparently being conservative. They ended up going 5-5 (something predicted on this website, but not by me; congratulations Aaron!) and thumped their opponents, Victory For Morgantown.
The next council will consist of Jenny Selin, Marti Shamberger, Bill Kawecki, Mike...
April 2013
22 posts
3 tags
This Is What A Thin Skin Looks Like (City Council...
A friend of mine and I were talking the other day, and he said, “Sam, you know I love you, and you know we’ve been friends for more than 15 years, but it’s not like you’re the easiest person to disagree with.”
Which is true. A more succinct way of describing me is how my wife does it. “You’re like a dog who won’t let go of a pant leg.” Fair...
3 tags
Facebook Page
Have you been sitting there, thinking to yourself, “I wish these CityOfMorgantown folks could bother me in yet another forum. Tumblr and Twitter just ain’t enough!”
I’ve got great news for you: https://www.facebook.com/TheCityOfMorgantown
And unlike some of this city’s cowardly City Council candidates, I won’t take it badly if you decide to come to the group...
3 tags
Local Politics Is A Cesspool
Got that?
Jim Manilla - a man caught lying about his own coordination with other candidates in this year’s City Council elections - objects to the idea of “non-truths and misinformation” being disseminated against him. You’ll note that he doesn’t give us any specific examples nor does he attempt to refute any of these allegations. He simply alleges that...
2 tags
4 tags
5 tags
But I Thought Coordinating Campaigning Was Bad?
A few days ago, I found a listing for an event hosted under the header of Victory For Morgantown. That certainly appeared to be a coordinated campaign effort between Jim Manilla, Wesley Nugent, Linda Herbst, Ron Bane, Mark Furfari, Bill Graham, and Jay Redman. But maybe it was just a one off event that curiously involved all seven candidates aligned with one another against Morgantown Together,...
3 tags
4 tags
Morgantown's Mayor Jim Manilla Hates Slates Of...
Earlier today, I had the distinct pleasure of receiving what appeared to be a threat from our mayor, Jim Manilla. He was pissed off that I’d written about his dishonest approach to the current City Council elections and he imagined that I couldn’t possibly back up a claim that I’d made.
The claim was this: Jim Manilla is running as a member of a slate of candidates for office....
4 tags
Two Guys Talking About...Morgantown's City Council...
This is another installment of Two Guys Talking About… The two guys are locals Aaron Hawley and myself, Sam Wilkinson. This week, we’re discussing the upcoming conclusion to the 2013 City Council Elections, a seemingly neverending nightmare of candidates competing to endure two years as a city councilor. My own comments are in italics; Aaron’s are bolded.
A week from now, our City...
4 tags
Me Thinketh Mayor Manilla Doth Protesteth Too Much
Jim Manilla, Morgantown’s Mayor, would like you believe that his political opponents are up to no good. He said as much in a recent letter he wrote to The Dominion Post. The crux of his opposition is below:
Now, voters are encouraged to cast ballots for a group agenda put forward by a political action committee that seems anything but the balanced, nonpartisan government Morgantown...
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
9 tags
Our City Council Elections Are Producing Too Much...
If I’m not mistaken, there are no outsider candidates running for City Council, right? They’re all associated with one of the city’s two tickets?
Jim Manilla’s features Wes Nugent, Ron Bane, Linda Herbst (those three form the council’s current majority), as well as candidates Mark Furfari, Jay Redman, and Bill Graham.
Jennifer Selin’s features Marti Shamberger...
3 tags
Our Local Politics Is An Embarrassment
We’ve got a City Council election coming at the end of this month. There are signs everywhere and we’re going to endure two-and-a-half weeks of mud being slung back and forth between the two slates of candidates that are running. Such is life.
Accepting that though isn’t the same as embracing it. Especially when what we’re being asked to accept is so inane. This, for...
7 tags
Two Guys Talking About...Sunnyside's Demolition
We’re introducing a new segment here at TheCityOfMorgantown: Two Guys Talking About… The two guys are locals Aaron Hawley and myself, Sam Wilkinson. We wanted to have a chat about the recent demolitions of the Sunnyside neighborhood, as this represents a significant change in a place that we’ve watched go from bad to worse during our 30+ years here in town. We both wanted to...
6 tags
3 tags
2 tags
March 2013
23 posts
2 tags
6 tags
5 tags
4 tags
Walnut Street: A Remembrance
I just received this a reader named Michael. It’s his remembrance of life on Walnut Street when he was growing up. It is fantastic.
Actually, the bakery had glazed donuts that tasted exactly like the ones that made Krispy Kreme a fortune decades later. It also sold small pizzas..I would probably find the stuff to be awful today, but it was my first pizza..I had to be 13 or so, attending...
7 tags
4 tags
6 tags
4 tags
Fighting St. Patrick's Day
We can all agree that the city’s response to last year’s St. Patrick’s Day was…well, let’s say wanting, because that’s the nicest way to phrase it. By the middle of that day, it was perfectly clear that the weather coupled with it being a Saturday coupled with it being St. Patrick’s Day meant that the parties that night were almost certainly going to be...
2 tags
Well, That Sucked
The headline says it all. Now we can mercifully take a break from the Mountaineers while relishing the rifle team’s championship.
4 tags
7 tags
6 tags
