Editors Note: The following is part of series of profiles on candidates running in Clarksburg’s June 6 municipal election.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Tim Gentilozzi is one of 10 candidates running for Clarksburg City Council. Voters will be asked to select three candidates.
— Biography: “I was raised in Clarksburg and went to Chestnut Hills Grade School, Central and WI. I then went on to WVU, where I obtained degrees in petroleum and natural gas engineering, master’s in business administration and a J.D. from the College of Law. I have been a practicing attorney for 17 years. I am married to Melanie Satterfield, who also was raised in Clarksburg, where we raised four daughters. My oldest child is 29 and my youngest is 14.”
— What do you see as the most important issue currently facing Clarksburg and what would you do to address it if you are elected?:
”Beyond infrastructure/budget/business development issues are drugs. I think drugs is the biggest issue facing our community as a whole. Over 70% of WV grandparents are raising a grandchild due to this drug epidemic. Fentanyl, meth and heroin have impacted an entire generation of young adults, making them unable to contribute to society or raise their children. My plan to address it is investment in the youth, including education and increased investment in law enforcement.”
— What are your expectations for the newly hired city manager and what do you hope they will accomplish in their first year on the job?:
“To be professional, show up and do the job she was hired to perform. I think that goes for everyone in society, as we all should be expected to be professional, show up and do the job. They say 80% of any job is showing up with a good attitude. I would expect nothing different from the newly hired city manager. We need to work together, and that is something I hope she can work on is getting everyone to work together. Working together for a better Clarksburg!”
— What should the city be doing to promote economic development in the downtown business area — should the B&O tax credit program be expanded?:
“Yes, I am for incentives for new business and have no problem expanding the B&O tax credit program. I don’t have a big problem with giving out $200,000 in selective no payback grants to businesses like we did a couple years ago with the COVID money. One business took $25,000 in grant funding, only to close 30-45 days later, which is a failure of the program. We need to fix our sidewalks downtown as anyone who as seen them knows they are in major disrepair posing a risk to pedestrians. We can do better, and my vision for the city is to demand better from not only the city but us as constituents.”
— How should Clarksburg work to forge stronger ties with decision makers in Charleston?:
“Same way we can forge stronger ties with the County Commission is through communication. We have to let these other decision makers know what we want out of government … essentially what we need to provide services to the citizens of Clarksburg. I think we have been largely forgotten as the commission along with the Legislature in Charleston [have] focused too much energy on TIF districts and not enough on inner city blight, which is what TIF was designed to address. We allowed these decision makers to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds in TIF districts while the downtowns, not only Clarksburg, die a slow death. We have to communicate this concern and demand better.”
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