CLARKSBURG -- Water Board President Pat D'Anselmi lost her election bid as newcomers Jack Keeley and Albert N. Cox were the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's municipal election.
Cox gained the most votes, while Keeley edged former Clarksburg Mayor Louis Iquinto for the second open seat on the board. Cox and Keeley will join sitting member Charles O. Thayer III, who was not up for election.
Cox is a former Clarksburg councilman and mayor, although he has been out of the political arena for about 14 years. This was Keeley's first foray into politics.
Keeley said he expected the first few weeks of his tenure to be a "learning experience" and said he is not going onto the board with any preconceived notions about what needs to be done.
"There will be a learning curve. I'll take a few weeks to get familiar with everything and the issues," he said.
Having two of the three board members as newcomers will be an advantage, Keeley said.
"I think it will give us a fresh start and a fresh approach to looking at things," he said.
Cox said his first priority will be to bring stability to board. He said there has been some public anxiety about the board and he wants to "restore confidence and bring a sense of dignity and integrity," to the water board.
He also thought having two new members would be an advantage.
"Jack Keeley has a good background as a civil engineer and my background is in finance," he said. "I think philosophically we agree with Charlie Thayer about bringing accountability and integrity back to the water board. Obviously, we're not going to agree on everything, but philosophically we're all on the same page."
Total votes for each candidate were:
n Albert N. Cox, 1,454
n Jack Keeley, 1,383
n Louis J. Iquinto, 1,256
n Patricia "Pat" D'Anselmi, 1,063
n Anthony "Tony" Olivito, 351
n Harold V. Tate, 326
Staff writer James Fisher can be reached at 626-1446 or by e-mail at jfisher@exponent-telegram.com.
