Government and Politics
Huntington has, since 1985, operated under a strong mayor/city council form of government. The mayor is elected to four-year terms in partisan elections contested at the same time as United States presidential elections. The current mayor is former Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe, a Republican who is currently in his first term. Mayors in Huntington are term-limited to three terms and have the authority to veto acts of the city council.
Huntington's city councilors are also elected to four-year terms at the same time as the mayor. There are eleven members of the council, nine of whom represent single-member districts, while the other two are elected at-large by the city as a whole. Huntington's city council has the authority to draft and debate ordinances and can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds majority. There are currently nine Democrats and two Republicans on the city council.
| District | City Council | District | City Council |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Jim Ritter (D) | District 7 | Scott Caserta (D) |
| District 2 | Teresa Loudermilk (D) | District 8 | Russ Houck (D) |
| District 3 | Frances Jackson (D) | District 9 | James Insco (D) |
| District 4 | Nate Randolph (R) | At Large | Steve Williams (D) |
| District 5 | Sandra Clements (D) | At Large | Rebecca Thacker (D) |
| District 6 | Mark Bates (R) |
The city also serves as the county seat of Cabell County. The Cabell County Courthouse is located in downtown Huntington on a parcel that covers an entire city block. Within the building are the offices for all of the county's elected officials and their employees, including the sheriff, county commissioners, county clerk, magistrates, and Circuit Court judges.
Read more about this topic: Huntington, West Virginia
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