Nick Cekinovich

FOLLANSBEE — Third Ward residents will be asked to choose from two candidates to represent them on Follansbee Council when they cast ballots in the city’s June 8 election.

They are: challenger Nick Cekinovoch of 541 Gilbert Ave. and incumbent Kathy Santoro of 605 Main St.

Cekinovich earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in education from West Virginia University. He is a technology support specialist for Hancock County Schools, where he also has worked as a teacher and coach.

He also has served as an adjunct instructor at local colleges and a foreman at the Weirton Steel blast furnace.

Cekinovich said if elected, he will “address dilapidated structures and neglected properties and make sure infrastructure, like paved roads and water and sewer service, are the best they can be.”

“I would like to see events that give our citizens and our business owners the opportunity to interact and form positive relationships that foster a strong sense of community,” he said.

Cekinovich said he’d also support “neighborhood clean-ups, where we would clean up litter and debris, not only because it will make our neighborhood look better, but also because it will allow people to get to know each other, form closer ties, and create a strong, supportive community of neighbors and improve our sense of pride in our city.”

A graduate of the Weirton Business School, Santoro was a Trans World Airlines-certified travel agent for more than 20 years and manager of a travel agency.

She has served on the West Virginia Municipal League board of directors, attending WVML meetings in Charleston to lobby for measures benefiting the city.

She also co-founded and co-chaired the Follansbee Christmas in the Park festival, which has raised more than $100,000 for local charities during the last 19 years.

Santoro has served on the advisory board for the Brooke-Hancock-Ohio-Marshall Retired and Senior Volunteer Program and has been a member of the 20th Century Club and Women of the Moose.

She said if re-elected, “I will continue working to help bring jobs to our city, listening to our present businesses and their needs and helping to make our city inviting to new prospects”

She said she will continue to support improvements to the city’s police and fire departments while staying within the city’s budget.

Santoro said as 3rd Ward councilwoman, she “will continue to listen to the needs and concerns of residents and pursue activities that will benefit our families.”

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)