Incumbents unopposed in The Plains, Remington
By Kelly Alm
Four government seats in the Town of The Plains will expire this June, including that of Mayor Robert Gurtler, Vice Mayor Blakeney Gallagher, and council members John Deering and Barbara Weeks.According to Treasurer and Town Clerk Nancy Brady, everyone will be running again except for Barbara Weeks.
As of yesterday, John Hardy, owner of the Gray Horse Inn in The Plains, registered to run to fill Weeks' seat. He has never served on the council before.
Mayor Gurtler said that he and the town council plan “to continue what we've been doing for the last four years,” including efforts to create affordable housing, keep the tax rate where it is, and maintain “the general well-being of The Plains.”
At the other end of the county, all seven seats on the Remington Town Council will expire in June, including that of Mayor Gerald Billingsley, Vice Mayor Stanley Heaney, Sr., and council members Linda Conrad, Joseph Korpsak, Rosemary Damewood, Jay Clatterbuck, and Richard Wehrley.
All incumbents will be running again. Thus far, they are all unopposed.
According to Billingsley, who has served as the mayor of Remington on and off since 1987, improving the quality of town water will continue to be the council’s number-one priority.
“It’s a concern for us to do what we need to meet the EPA requirements,” he said.
“The water doesn't quite meet the 'specs' as far as arsenic levels go,” Clatterbuck explained. “We're pretty close, but we need to do more work.”
Additional water plans may include some rate adjustments. About 70 percent of Remington residents use 3,000 gallons of water or less, Korpsak said. Yet, everyone is charged a flat rate based on using 4,000 gallons. Korpsak said that he would like to restructure the fee system based on the amount of water a household uses.
Wehrley, who is chair of the Water Committee, however, said that will have to wait.
Although the town's water department is now making money, a contrast to previous years, the cost of arsenic treatment will determine the feasibility of implementing a tiered rate system, Wehrley said.
The town council will vote to establish a date to begin a pilot study for the arsenic treatment at its next meeting.
Korpsak is also the chairman of Remington's Public Facility Committee, which focuses on the condition of the town's streets and sidewalks.
The committee is currently working to identify who owns segments of several streets. Possible owners include the town, VDOT and property owners.
Anyone interested in running for either town's council can pick up a form at the registrar's office. The form must be turned in to the registrar by Tuesday March 4.
Elections are scheduled in both towns, and in Warrenton as we reported last week, on Tuesday, May 13.
The Plains Town council meets at 7:30 p.m., on the third Monday of each month at the firehouse. For information, call Clerk/Treasurer Nancy Brady at 364-3774.
The Remington Town Council meets at 7 p.m., on the third Monday of each month at Town Hall. For information, call Clerk/Treasurer Lydia Edwards at 439-3220.