Developer Lance Dom is the new mayor of Shepherdstown. The majority
of those who voted chose him, along with incumbents Wanda Grantham Smith, Peter Wilson, Howard Mills, Jim Ford, Cindy
Cook and newcomer to Frank Salzano, to represent the community for the next couple of years. Former Mayor Jim
Auxer lost by a margin of approximately sixty votes.
Auxer is a populist. During his campaign he vowed that
if elected, he would keep in mind that thirty percent of townspeople live on the edge of the poverty line. It is hard to tell
whether this an unpopular stand in the community or whether it is a camapaign of disinformation according to which Auxer
would have the police running running roughshod over the citizenry law assount for his defeat at the polls. It
is not unusual for some voters to accept rumors as the absolute truth. Such voters probably do not know or
care that some of the disinformation might have come from disgruntled residents who were compelled to pay long overdue utility
fees and zoning violation fees during Auxer's no-nonsense, no special privileges administration. After all,
during Peter Wilson's administration the police was hardly the little corps of goodwill embassadors some of Dom's
supporters want it to be.
The new mayor is, in many ways, an unknown quantity. He said during
his campaign speech that he had a vision for the town. Apart from the fact that he favors annexation of the south
end, he failed to articulate clearly articulate that vision clearly.
But he got the job. In due course we shall see how well he,veterans
of the previous administration and Salzano will get the job done. He will no doubt be able to rely on the experience
of Peter Wilson, whose confrontational style and pesky micromanaging of town meetings alienated citizens who
feel that the town needs a more democratic leader.
In due course, Dom will allow us a glimpse of his vision.
It is to be hoped that unlike Wilson he will take a holistic approach to government, and yes, that includes the
opposition as well as the east and west ends of town. According to sources at the East End, Wilson visited that part
of town only once during his tenure. How often he visited the West End is a matter of conjecture. Dom can do better and Old
Unterrified will be here to see that his and the newly elected Town Council's actions will not go unrecorded.
