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In order for there to be success in any organization, there needs to be stability in leadership.
That's not something the City of Weirton has necessarily had in recent years, but we hope that changes with some recent decisions.
Friday morning saw the swearing in of the latest city manager under the administration of Mayor Harold Miller. Mike Adams has served as a member of city council since 2018, but, in September was selected to fill the vacancy of the post tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations and services provided by the municipality.
Miller himself has noted the post of city manager has been a bit of a rotating door in recent years. His first full-time manager, selected in August 2015, was Travis Blosser, a then-23-year-old who came to Weirton from central West Virginia. Blosser stayed on until the summer of 2018, when he accepted a position with the West Virginia Municipal League. Then came Joe DiBartolomeo, who stayed from August 2018 until February 2019 before leaving for other opportunities. Carlo Pilgrim came to Weirton from Maine in July 2019, staying less than two months before submitting his resignation. DiBartolomeo would return for a second stint in November 2019, remaining until his resignation in July of this year. Various people have stepped in on an interim basis, when needed, including former Hancock County official Chuck Svokas, Finance Director Diane Smoljanovich and current Assistant City Manager DeeAnn Pulliam.
Compare that to the previous administrations. Going back to 2000, four mayors had a total of three individuals serve at that post. There were a couple of occasions where an interim was needed, but, for the most part, there were few disruptions from changeovers.
Following Adams' swearing in Friday, he spoke of the opportunities Weirton is seeing for growth and development. We, too, see those opportunities for a better future, but, as with anything else, those looking to invest in this community want to see a steady hand at the wheel.
The next municipal election in Weirton will take place in 2024. That means, barring some major development, we have three more years of this particular mayor and council. Let's hope they can keep things on a more solid footing until then.