MORGANTOWN — If there were lingering questions about whether the city’s April election would shift the dynamics within Morgantown City Council, they were answered in about 75 seconds Tuesday evening.
As the new council’s first order of business, it split 4-3 in selecting 5th Ward Councilor Danielle Trumble over 1st Ward Councilor Joe Abu-Ghannam as the city’s mayor for the next year.
Brian Butcher was the lone nomination for deputy mayor and was supported unanimously.
While the mayor and deputy mayor roles are largely ceremonial as far as official duties, Tuesday’s leadership selection is telling in that Trumble and Butcher were the vocal minority within council pushing against the hotly-debated camping ban adopted on a 4-3 vote in September and ultimately upheld by 78 votes in an April ballot question.
Abu-Ghannam entered the meeting as the sitting mayor and was nominated by Jenny Selin to remain in the position for another year. Trumble was nominated by Mark Downs as his first official act representing the city’s 6th Ward.
Trumble received votes from new 2nd Ward Councilor Jodi Hollingshead, Downs, Butcher and herself. Abu-Ghannam supported his nomination, as did Selin and Louise Michael.
Tuesday marked the third consecutive year Trumble has been nominated for mayor. On July 11, 2023, council voted 5-2 for Selin over Trumble. On July 2, 2024, the body went 4-2 for Abu-Ghannam, with Butcher choosing not to participate after the needed four votes were secured for the 1st Ward councilor.
For additional insight into how the alliances within council have shifted in the past year due to clashes over the camping ban and split votes on issues like ward and boundary adjustments, consider that Michael nominated and backed Trumble for mayor in both 2023 and 2024, but lamented her selection Tuesday, saying, “I think we lost a really good mayor today.”
Selin, who served the past year as deputy mayor after three consecutive years as mayor, called it “the flow of democracy.”
“I just really have enjoyed being the deputy mayor and working with Joe Abu-Ghannam in the last year, and the effort that he’s put into being even-handed and working with a council that was obviously divided on a few issues, and helped make Morgantown a better place,” she said. “And so, on to the next administration; see how you all do, and I’m just very glad to be here.”
For her part, Trumble said serving as the city’s mayor is a goal she set for herself and she’s excited to do her best to help move the city forward.
Asked Wednesday whether she has specific areas she’d like to address as mayor, Trumble said communication is high on the list.
“From my experience, the mayor kind of controls the flow of information, and in the past, in my opinion, it hasn’t always been super equitable. I’m looking forward to being that liaison between staff and council to make sure everyone on council has the same information and any information that they feel they need to make the best decisions, legislative or policy-wise,” she said.
Additionally, Trumble said she’d like to see the council take another look through the strategic planning efforts undertaken in recent years and identify initiatives that bring everyone to the table.
“It’s no secret that council has been contentious over, especially, the last year, but I look forward to putting that behind us and finding a couple of wins,” she said.
In addition to Downs and Hollingshead, who were sworn in as part of their first meeting, Tuesday’s session also marked the first for new City Manager Jamie Miller, who began her tenure with the city June 23.
“I wanted to start off just telling you all how fantastic the team has been in the last week-plus. Truly a dedicated group of professionals who I truly believe is wanting the best for Morgantown and is serving with their full heart and full service,” Miller said. “It’s a pleasure to get to work alongside such a great group of people.”
