TheObserver’s Thomas Harding caught up with Charles Town Mayor Peggy Smith. She has been Mayor since 2005, after retiring as vice president of City National Bank.
OBSERVER: What was it like growing up in Charles Town?
SMITH: Charles Town was booming. We had Leggetts, J.C. Pennys, Diamonds, and Castles. Anything you needed you could get downtown. We even had a movie theater. There was no crime. We never heard of drugs. I knew everyone in Charles Town. I graduated with John Skinner, the local attorney, and Guy Chicchirichi, who owns Guy’s Buick.
OBSERVER: What year are we talking about?
SMITH: The 1950s. I’m now 66. In those days we lived in Ranson. I’m an only child. My father worked in Tablers Station at Shipmans Mattress Company. He made mattresses. My mother and I still have some mattresses that my father made years ago. He made them extra firm, really special for us. He died in the 1980s. My mother lives right next door to us. She is 87 years old.
OBSERVER: Which school did you go to?
SMITH: I went to Charles Town High and then attended Shepherd College. I had a music scholarship. I was a majorette in the band. I’ll tell you how bad I wanted to be a majorette. I’m left handed—you cannot be left handed, march in the band, and twirl a baton. I had to learn how to do it right-handed. And I did it. I was a majorette in the high school band and at Shepherd College.
OBSERVER: Can you still do it?
SMITH: [Laughs] Yes, I do it for my granddaughter, out in the garage, so nobody can see it!
OBSERVER: Tell us about your family.
SMITH: I have two children and a stepson. I married Ed Smith. He is retired from AT&T and now manages the Jefferson Ambulance Authority. He is also chief of Independent Fire Company. My oldest son Mike is one of the assistant baseball coaches at Jefferson High School. My other child Jason lives in Atlanta. I have two granddaughters.
OBSERVER: How did you end up being mayor?
SMITH: I’ve lived here all my life. I was president of the chamber of commerce; I served on the board of the Development Authority; I retired as vice president for City National Bank. I also sold real estate.
I love the city of Charles Town. And I could see all the growth coming here through the county and Ranson, not actually in the city of Charles Town. I have lived in the same house for 30-some years on Seminary Street. A lot of my neighbors are elderly. They have concerns that their water and sewer bills will go up. I just felt it was time that Charles Town needed to do some expanding for us get a tax base. I was first elected in May 2005 for a four-year term.
OBSERVER: Unlike Shepherdstown, which has two-year terms for its mayors.
SMITH: It’s been a little over two years since I’ve been elected. Everything goes so slow. You have to feel like you have accomplished something. You need at least four years to get anything done.
OBSERVER: And you were the first woman to be mayor of Charles Town.
SMITH: Yes . . . the first since the town was founded in 1786. I’m proud of that. I think it is a step forward for women.
OBSERVER: As I understand it, the City of Charles Town has asked the West Virginia Supreme Court to instruct the Jefferson County Commission to approve two proposed annexations. The Supreme Court heard the case September 19. As of today, we are still waiting for their decision. Did you initiate the case?
SMITH: Yes we did.
OBSERVER: What is the background to this case?
SMITH: Let’s go back. In the 1990s we had a growth boundary around the city of Charles Town. Then we had a lot of problems with some people who didn’t want the growth. They questioned our expanding the growth boundary. So in the summer of 2006 we did away with the growth boundary, and we said we would take petitions from home owners who wanted to be annexed. By the way, both of the petitions for annexation that we took to the Supreme Court are within this original growth boundary—the two properties that we are talking about are Windmill Crossings and Peter Chakmakian’s Prospect Point.
OBSERVER: Why go to the Supreme Court? It requires lots of time, lots of money?
SMITH: The city went through the complete annexation process, through both readings at city level. The next step was to present to the county for their signatures.
OBSERVER: This should be a rubber stamp, right?
SMITH: Yes, absolutely, the law reads they “shall” sign.
OBSERVER: And they said no?
SMIHT: Yes. They refused to sign it. Both of these annexations mean a lot to Charles Town because they are commercial. Windmill has 19 commercial lots. Prospect Point has 50 acres of commercial lots. There is a doctor’s office that has been waiting over two and a half years to get this through the county. There’s a drug store, a hotel, a food store—all of this would bring [business and occupancy-tax] income to the city. We don’t know how much these new lots would bring. But as an example, Home Depot brings in around $600,000 a year to the city of Ranson.
OBSERVER: Why is this important to you?
SMITH: Because that is the future tax base of the city. The city relies on video lottery money from the race track. I would like to see this money as gravy, and not rely on it so much. We could lose it tomorrow. That scares me. That is why we need to expand the city through annexation.
OBSERVER: Do you have any sympathy for those people who oppose growth, development, annexation?
SMITH: I have sympathy to a certain point. But then the livelihood of this city takes precedence. One of the farmers I grew up with is J.P. Burns. The farm has been in his family for years. His children do not want to farm. If he wants to retire and sell farm, I believe he has right to sell to anyone he wants to.
OBSERVER: What have opponents said?
SMITH. They come all the time to council meetings. And they say “I came to Jefferson County five years ago for the beautiful farmland.” I say, “if they want the farm so much they should buy the farm.”
OBSERVER: It doesn’t sound like you have much sympathy for their position.
SMITH: Not much. Cities need to be run like a business. You need to do what’s right to make your business grow.
OBSERVER: Do you think you will have a problem in the future being elected, given your position on growth?
SMITH: Yes. Absolutely. Everyone local knows my background. They know me. In the past two elections, only 500 people voted out of 2,100 registered voters. We have a low turnout. The commuters and the new people who live here don’t realize about the services the city offers. They live in a subdivision and that’s all they do here. They work in the city. They shop in the city. They play in the city. The only thing they do is live here.
OBSERVER: And what do they not realize?
SMITH: They don’t realize that the fire department is made up of volunteers. That the ambulance authority is paid for by video lottery money.
OBSERVER: So do you think that, typically, the people who have moved are “anti-growth” and those who grew up here are for growth?
SMITH: Yes. From the people that I know. Yes.
OBSERVER: Do things gets heated? Do we see a lot of emotion here?
SMITH: Yes. It’s hard. The first thing they told me when I ran for office was, “Boy, you had better toughen up your skin.” Now I see what they mean. People come bashing us, saying we are in the developer’s pockets, that we are feathering our nests, doing under-the-table-dealings.
OBSERVER: Recently, there has been tension between one of the County Commissioners, Jim Surkamp, and the City of Charles Town.
SMITH: He is saying we are land grabbers and that the Development Authority is a “tin can.” When you are tying to do what you feel is best, it does hurt when you hear mistruths, things that are not factual.
OBSERVER: Were you in favor of allowing table gaming at the Charles Town racetrack?
SMITH: Yes.
OBSERVER: Why?
SMITH: We rely on video lottery money from the racetrack. They have been an excellent business partner. [The owners] Penn National came here and they did everything and more that they promised. A lot more. They have been very supportive to the whole community. They have given back hundreds of thousands of dollars to the community.
OBSERVER: Why do you think the vote failed to pass?
SMITH: I don’t think they had enough time.
OBSERVER: And that was Penn National’s choice? It was they who triggered the election.
SMITH: Right. And there were some educators still against it. And a lot of ministers who spoke out against it. And some of the politicians. In two years, when it comes back up again, [Penn National] will have to change their strategy, they will need to concentrate more on education.
OBSERVER: How is the police department working here?
SMITH: This is one of my best accomplishments. I appointed a police task force to find a police chief. We were very fortunate that we found Barry Sublesky, retired from the FBI. I’m really proud of our police station. We have 16 staff, including 11 full-time troopers.
OBSERVER: Is there a big crime and drug problem here?
SMITH: Previously there was. You are fooling yourself if you say any town doesn’t have a drug problem. We have been very efficient.
OBSERVER: Do you track crime statistics?
SMITH: The chief does, and he gives reports to me.
OBSERVER: Have they gone down or up?
SMITH: Major crimes I would say are down. We have had a rash of breaking and entering in the past couple of months. We just can’t seem to catch this person.
OBSERVER: Since you’ve been in office are crimes come down?
SMITH: We don’t have that many crimes. We have had a few break-ins. Whenever there is a drug bust the chief informs me. As far as the numbers, I know they were high in the 1980s. Now it’s more quiet. You don’t see drug deals on the streets today. I think the police have good control over this.
OBSERVER: Is there a limit to the number of times you can be mayor in Charles Town?
SMITH: No. We had one mayor for 20 years and another for 22 years.
OBSERVER: Could you be here in 20 years?
SMITH: [Laughs.] I would be 80-something. I don’t think so! My husband and I have both retired once. We would like to do some traveling. We have taken a lot of cruises. We would like to tour the United States.
OBSEVER: In an RV?
Smith. [Laughs.] No, I’m not into that. We would just travel the United States.
OBSERVER: Will you run again?
SMITH: Yes. Will I win again? I’m not sure.
OBSERVER: When the will campaign start?
SMITH: January 2009.
OBSERVER: What do you want to get accomplished before then?
SMITH: Both annexations and their commercial development. I want to see the success of the Charles Town Affordable and Workforce Housing Board. I would like to see the electric poles between KFC and Jefferson Avenue buried underground. I would like to see the renovations of the city hall. I would like to have an office before my term is over!
OBSERVER: Do you have aspiration for other political office?
SMITH: If I had started young maybe, because it is exciting being in office, being a mayor. For example, when I go to Charleston, and take part in some of the events with the governor and the other politicians, I find it exciting. It’s better than sitting at home in a rocking chair.
