Kanawha County held municipal elections June 10 in Clendenin, Marmet and Pratt, joining more than 100 other cities and towns across West Virginia.
While all the elections in Pratt and Clendenin were uncontested, Marmet saw a change in leadership. Frances Armentrout, a retired 70-year-old business owner, defeated longtime Mayor David Fontalbert, who was appointed and reelected since 2016, by more than 110 votes.
This is an undated contributed photo of Frances Armentrout, who was elected mayor of Marmet on June 10, 2025.Â
Courtesy photo
Armentrout, who will begin her term on July 1, said she first ran for town council four years ago to improve her community — but what she witnessed only fueled her resolve.
"I've only seen it go down for four years," Armentrout said. "I was very disappointed. I ran for mayor because I thought I could maybe make a change."
In addition to her new role, Armentrout still owns Chum's Hotdog, a Marmet eatery.
Marmet Council race decided by tiebreaker
A tie in the Marmet town council race added a layer of suspense to the otherwise quiet election. Becky Stone and current councilman Michael McGhee each received 116 votes in the initial results. Stone edged out McGhee to secure the fifth and final seat with a coin toss conducted at the canvassing event.
She will be working with an all-new council: Terry Barley, Matthew Morgan, Michelle Lyttle and Chance Walker. Other candidates who ran but did not win include current councilmembers Debbie Skeens and Becca Bass as well as Dee Snodgrass.
Councilwoman Teresa Long, who ran unopposed to replace current recorder Billie J. Fontalbert, will serve as Marmet’s town recorder.
No surprises in Clendenin and Pratt
In Clendenin, Mayor Kay Summers ran unopposed and was reelected. The town council will include David Canterbury, Scott Duesenberry, Tim Allen, Dave Knight and Scott Bird. Erica Kearns will continue as town recorder.
In Pratt, Andy Williams also retained his seat as mayor.
State law will shift all municipal elections by 2032
West Virginia towns with elections off the regular election calendar are already preparing for a major change in how their elections are conducted.
A new state law, Senate Bill 50, will require by July 2032 all West Virginia municipalities to align their local elections with general elections, which are held in November.
David Cook, general counsel for the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, said the move is designed to save money and improve voter turnout.
Cook said, "A minority of municipalities have contested elections. They're spending — I'm estimating — $9,000 to $16,000 to hold elections for uncontested races."
Pratt's town clerk, Brooke Pettry, confirmed, "It's pretty pricey," citing numerous costs, including publishing ballots, hiring and training poll workers, printing materials, and canvassing votes with state and federal offices.
The consolidation will allow towns to share costs. Cook also said grouping elections together will likely boost participation in municipal races.
Williams said the switch from a special local election to the general election will save the town of Pratt about $10,000.
“There’s some code out there that indicates if a certain amount of voters don't turn out, it could be argued the charter could be forfeited,†Cook added. “What this does is it promotes people to come out and vote for these municipal offices.â€
Municipalities that need to adjust their election schedules will be allowed to lengthen or shorten terms by up to 18 months to comply. Cook’s office is currently drafting a model ordinance for towns to use to streamline the process.
"We're going to discuss this with the municipalities that appear at the Municipal League conference," he said. "It will be a point of interest in August."
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