MARTINSBURG — After a three-year period of proudly serving the community, Martinsburg Mayor Kevin Knowles officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 mayoral election.
Bolstered by his track record of effective governance and dedication to the welfare of the community, Knowles is determined to secure the public’s mandate to continue serving as the city’s mayor.
Since his July 2021 appointment, Knowles has proudly filled the unexpired term created as a result of the untimely passing of elected Mayor Harriet Johnson. In his first year, Knowles worked to continue the projects initiated by Johnson, such as the East Martin Street parking lot project and stormwater management projects.
“People said to me, ‘Kevin, you’re an appointed mayor. What’s your plan in June?’ My plan is that I’m running for mayor. I want to be an elected mayor in the City of Martinsburg,” Knowles said. “I feel that everything was given to me to walk through for Mayor Johnson after her death, and I walked proudly through and finished the projects that were very near to her and created some new projects that are going to be able to enhance the city, moving forward.”
Infrastructure and capital improvements have been a priority of the mayor’s office during Knowles’ term. He looks forward to the completion of the City Hall Renovation Project, which is projected for the spring.
“Life downtown is very good, “ he said. “Businesses are doing very well, and we’re seeing a lot of progress with a lot of different initiatives that we’ve done.”
Knowles said the city has been working on multiple projects to help improve the quality of life in Martinsburg. He highlighted the Martinsburg Fire Department access improvements, the expansion of the city’s public works and the North Queen Street Underpass project.
“We’re always doing some paving projects,” Knowles said. “You’re not running into a lot of potholes and different things like that. We’re very good at keeping our streets paved. We’re just about to finish off the Queen Street Underpass, which has been a huge undertaking.”
Initially elected to represent Martinsburg’s Ward 2, Knowles took advantage of his 2021 appointment by implementing policies, projects and initiatives. With the support of the city council, Knowles has been able to help revitalize some of the city’s historic economic drivers by establishing renovation partnerships with the historic Apollo Civic Theatre and the Martinsburg Roundhouse.
“I always said, from the get-go, that I may be an appointed mayor, but I’ve been with city government since 2012. I was a city councilman from 2012 to this point. I know the intricacies, I know how things work within the city. As mayor, I’m just more in depth with it, as to be able to see the day-to-day operations of what’s going on.”
Not only has Knowles learned of the intricacies involved with the City of Martinsburg, he also had the opportunity to learn about all of the cities, towns and villages in the state, while serving as the president of the West Virginia Municipal League. His work within the league earned him an appointment to the Southern Municipal Conference, which is a network of state municipal leagues from southern states.
“They’ve put a lot of faith in me when I was president, and now, I represent (the) West Virginia Municipal League in the Southern Municipal Conference, which is cities throughout the southern part of the country. We all come together as mayors to be able to share our experiences and we share our hopes.”
Hoping the city’s voters also have faith in his capabilities to lead as mayor, Knowles said he has some projects in which he would like to lead the charge. He is excited to see the establishment of the Creekside Trail Master Plan, a preliminary concept to connect the Frog Hollow Trail to Oatesdale Park along the Tuscarora Creek.
Knowles is also very excited to have a part in establishing a new strategic master plan for Lake Thomas to be opened to the public. This project is in cooperation with the City of Martinsburg, Berkeley County Commission, Berkeley County Board of Education and Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks and Recreation.
Knowles said he was also proud to be a part of encouraging citizen engagement through various outlets. As a way to show transparency, the city implemented a live streaming service of meetings, launched a mass text and email alert system for notifications and created a new website with expanded online services. In addition, the city has worked to grow its social media presence.
Knowles takes an active role while completing his duties as mayor and is often seen at community events. He encourages open dialogue with voters and looks forward speaking with voters during the campaign season.
To stay up to date with Knowles, follow him on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073743777315.
