The Dunbar City Council will choose from among 10 candidates when it replaces former Mayor Terry Greenlee. The council will have a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday to discuss mayoral candidates.
Greenlee, who won re-election during the city's June election, resigned late last month to become the deputy commissioner of the state Alcohol Beverage Control Administration. Dunbar residents had until 4:30 p.m. Friday to throw their names in the hat. By state code and city charter, the city council will appoint the new mayor.
The candidates are: Lanny R. Coberly Sr., the pastor of a Dunbar church; Councilman Bill Cunningham; Mark Halburn, the operator of a Putnam County news website; former councilman Dana K. Hayes; Councilman Rev. Gregory Hudson, pastor of Dunbar Church of the Nazarene; Virginia Nesselrotte, a Verizon retiree, private art teacher and former candidate for city council; Councilman Mike Scipio; Sierra Sovine, a former candidate for city council; Lisa M. Wilkinson; and former mayor Jack Yeager.
Interim mayor Steve Arnott said he doesn't know yet who he'll vote for.
"I'm still praying about it," Arnott said.
Halburn has faced several misdemeanor charges in Kanawha and Putnam county magistrate courts since 2007, including trespassing, harassing and threatening telephone calls, assault and willful disruption of governmental process. In at least four of those cases, the charges were dismissed or Halburn was found not guilty. Halburn unsuccessfully applied to be a Kanawha County Commissioner earlier this year.
Yeager was mayor of Dunbar from 2008 to 2013. He was first appointed to fill the unexpired term of former Mayor Roger Wolfe, who was removed from office. He didn't run in 2013.
Cunningham, who's in his first term on council, is retired as a consultant for engineering firm and worked with cities and municipalities all over the state, he said.
Arnott said the council will pare down the list when it meets Monday and could choose a new mayor at its regular meeting Aug. 21.
Reach Lori Kersey at Lori.Kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.