Pikeville will pick its mayor
By Laura Collins
Published in News on October 19, 2009 1:47 PM
PIKEVILLE -- With Election Day on Nov. 3 and early voting already in full force, Pikeville residents will decide whom they want to serve them as mayor for next four years.
Incumbent Mayor Herb Sieger and town resident Johnny Weaver are both running for the mayor's seat.
Weaver, former town commissioner, said he is running for mayor because he thinks the town's board of commissioners needs new leadership.
"The attitude of the board and the direction of the town, a lot of times it comes from the head, and that is the mayor," Weaver said.
Weaver added that he feels the attitude of the town government currently is "anti-citizen."
"They're trying to figure out how to not do something instead of trying to figure out how to do something," he said. "I think we need a can-do board."
Weaver also said, if elected, he would like the commissioners to become more financially conservative, not spend more money than they have and not continue to borrow money.
He said he would also like to have more public hearings.
"I'm for openness. I'm not for special closed meetings," he said.
Weaver, 62, was born and raised in Pikeville. He currently owns Site Management, a landscaping business in Pikeville, and does inspections for Mutual Inspection Bureau.
Sieger, 87, has been mayor for the past six and a half years and said he has a simple reason for wanting to be re-elected.
"I think I can do some good for the community," he said. "I feel we've made some mistakes, of course, we've made some mistakes, and I know how to fix them."
He added that he is proud of the work the town has accomplished so far and wants to continue.
"I think we've done a good job," he said. "We've got a $7 million sewer plant. We've done inflow and infiltration. We've upgraded the entire electrical system and reduced the debt interest on the water tower."
If re-elected, Sieger plans to turn his focus toward I-795.
"Interstate I-795 is the key to either the development or decline of Pikeville," he said. "As so goes the highway, so we go. Therefore, our first priority should be the development of the same."
He suggests development of new construction in both commercial and residential areas. Sieger said the town also needs a new cemetery, an initiative he hopes to lead if re-elected.
EDITOR'SNOTE: Candidate JohnnyWeaver refused to submit a headshot for this article.