Gail Taylor sits for lone interview in city’s 7th Ward opening
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MORGANTOWN - It appears as if the field of candidates to fill the Morgantown City Council 7th Ward seat vacated by Brian Butcher has been narrowed to one.
Prior to Tuesday's regular meeting, Gail Taylor met with council for a brief interview conducted in executive session. A recording of the interview has been posted to the city's YouTube channel.
Taylor was one of five applicants to express interest in the council opening following Butcher's announcement in late July that he would be vacating the seat on Aug. 31.
From that group, which also included Kirsten Nelson, Mary "Mimi" Wilson, Annie Cronan Yorick and Vincent Kang, council asked city staff to schedule initial discussions with Taylor, Nelson and Wilson. Only Taylor and Wilson responded.
When the city attempted to schedule more in-depth interviews with Taylor and Wilson, Wilson declined the second sit-down.
All told, Taylor met with council roughly 30 minutes Tuesday evening as members were each given an opportunity to ask two questions.
Taylor, who is a volunteer member of the Morgantown Cultural Arts Commission, said she moved to Morgantown at the age of 12 and is a product of Suncrest Junior High and Morgantown High School who’s always considered civic participation part of her chosen path in life.
Her statement of interest in the council opening indicates she has a master's degree and "extensive experience leading and joining teams dedicated to solving problems."
Asked what success would look like to her as a member of city council, Taylor said it would be making the city's legislative body as open and available as possible.
"I would just hope that people feel that if they had a concern, I think it would be unfortunate if somebody said, 'Gee, you know I'm chuffed about this. I'm so upset about this, but I don't feel comfortable coming to talk to anybody about it. That would be sad," she said. "So, hearing from people; people who have something to contribute or to say and knowing that they feel comfortable doing that would be success. And that goes for residents. It goes for anybody who's working for the city. Diverse voices being heard. That looks like success to me."
Taylor said she feels government works best when it strives for an ability to have "a collegial kind of conversation" about difficult topics "such that there's no topic that cannot be broached."
Taylor said people need to have a space where everyone feels comfortable talking to each other about topics, big and small.
"I think seeking first to understand is a big part of how I live my life. I try to ask as many questions as I can before I would even think of making a decision about anything, and if I don't understand something, I probably am not going to take action."
Asked about transparency and accountability, Taylor said the bottom line is there are no secrets when you're working with the public.
"That's number one. Those principles that we learned in our journalism class are so important. The public has a right to know," she said, adding, "Accountability would be, you know, what did you say that you were going to do. And what did you do? And not being afraid to say if something didn't work out. It didn't work or did work, and here's why."
According to Mayor Danielle Trumble, council intends to make an appointment to fill the 7th Ward opening during a special meeting prior to council's Sept. 29 meeting.
While nothing has been finalized, Trumble said council is not actively working to schedule any additional interviews.
The appointed individual will serve out Butcher's term, which expires June 30, 2027.
The following day, the winners of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th ward seats in the April 27 municipal election will be sworn in.