Robertson

One Town Council member, Leah Rampy, has decided not to run for reelection. All of the other incumbent Town Council members are running for reelection, with the twist that Town Council member Chris Stroech will be running for the unopposed Town Recorder position and Town Recorder Lori Robertson will be stepping down from that position to run for one of the five Town Council seats.

For Town Council member Jenny Haynes, being able to serve a third term in office would allow her to continue to give back to the community she grew up in. Haynes, along with being an active Town Council member, has been an active leader in various town celebrations, including BooFest, Christmas in Shepherdstown and the return of the Spring Parade and related events this past Easter season.

Cheryl Roberts has been serving on the Town Council since 2016. The Shepherd University Hall of Fame member is a Healthcare Education Project Manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Institute for Learning Education and Development and an Athletics Game Assistant for Shepherd University. She is also an active member of the Shepherdstown Centennial Lions Club, Asbury United Methodist Church, Shepherdstown Shares, Shepherd University Athletic Club, Eastern Panhandle Alumnae Chapter- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Jefferson County NAACP.

“I am running for Town Council because Shepherdstown is my hometown!” Roberts said. “If reelected, I hope to continue to be an advocate for positive change in Shepherdstown and to continue to support state, county and the Corporation of Shepherdstown’s initiatives in the areas of improved infrastructure and to continue to concentrate on the safety of our town as a member of the Police Committee and to continue to be a good steward of the town’s finances as a member of the Finance Committee. As the chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Committee, my goal is to actively respond the needs of the community and neighbors by continuing to support and to implement age-friendly environments within the parks, as well as overseeing the need for safer equipment and to, aesthetically, update the look and feel of the parks.”

Bartlett

If reelected, Marty Amerikaner will be serving his third term on the Town Council. The former Marshall University Psychology Department Chair moved to Shepherdstown with his wife, Linda Spatig, after teaching at the university for 30 years.

“We moved to Shepherdstown to be closer to our kids and grandkids living in the D.C. area. It was a great decision, and we love it here,” Amerikaner said. “Since moving to Shepherdstown, I’ve been active in community groups including Shepherdstown Area Independent Living, Shepherd University’s Lifelong Learning Program and Age Friendly Shepherdstown.

“Sidewalk improvements for enhanced safety of residents and visitors is an important goal [of Age Friendly Shepherdstown] — I took the lead in arranging for an expert from Morgantown to conduct a study of this issue for the Pubic Works Committee. This extensive report is forming the basis for work that the committee is planning for the near future,” Amerikaner said. “Working with colleagues, I’ve also taken a lead in health and wellness initiatives such as creating a new walking path in Cullison Park, successfully advocating for Shepherd’s Wellness Center to accept the Silver Sneakers program, for which residents covered by Medicare Advantage are eligible, and planning a new bike route to guide bikers more safely to and from the C&O Towpath, through Shepherd’s campus and to points of interest around town.”

Amerikaner was also the Town Council member who took the initiative to improve the town’s communication through creating a new town-wide email system.

For new candidate Linus Bicker, the decision to run for office was an easy one.

Roberts

“I’m running for Town Council because simply — I love Shepherdstown. I’ve never been in a place with such a concentration of incredibly smart, kind and interesting people who are so invested in the community,” Bicker said. “I consider myself lucky to live here.”

Bicker is a U.S. Army veteran. He and his wife, Becky, live in the old firehall on King Street with their cattle dog, Penny.

“As a member of the Town Council, I would seek to preserve the small town atmosphere and the aspects of Shepherdstown that I believe we all cherish: arts, culture, food, nature [and] history. I would respectfully serve with a focus on communication and transparency,” Bicker said. “During my time in Shepherdstown, I have volunteered on the Highway and Potomac River cleanups that the Rotary sponsors. I have volunteered for the Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea. And, perhaps best of all, I have been the costumed Grinch at the town’s tree lighting and Christmas parade. People have seen me from that — but they don’t know it’s me!”

Shannon Thomas is also a veteran, who has fought on a number of fronts, as a breast cancer survivor and an officer in the U.S. Air Force and Air national Guard. She has 30 years of cumulative experience in program management, civic engagement, public relations, event planning and executive support. Throughout her career she established a reputation for managing high-visibility engagements while building trust and rapport at all levels. Her last military position was at the Pentagon, as the public engagement officer to a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Currently, Thomas has an art studio in the historic Thomas Shepherd Grist Mill, which she and her husband, Adam, began renovating into a home for themselves in 2020. She has hosted a number of fundraisers and live music events at her home, including a recent one for the Contemporary American Theater Festival, which she is deeply involved with as a member of its board of trustees.

Bicker

“I have never run for office before, and frankly, never imagined I would. But when we moved to Shepherdstown, I fell in love with this great little artsy town and realized that it will not stay as cool as it is without people getting actively involved,” Thomas said. “My priorities, if elected, are to support and grow local businesses, arts and culture; to enhance community engagement and communication; and to proactively manage growth that maintains our historic and creative character.”

For Marcy Bartlett, running for a seat on the Town Council was more a question of ‘Why not,’ rather than ‘Why.’ The retired engineer has served as a systems engineer, a program director managing large domestic and international communications and infrastructure programs for aerospace companies and a nonprofit employee working with thousands of volunteers to repair homes for low-income people, primarily seniors and struggling families.

“Today I live in Shepherdstown with my husband, Steve, and our two pets. Most of our three children and grandchildren are not far away,” Bartlett said. “I want to serve for a number of reasons: to continue the good work of keeping Shepherdstown vibrant; to participate in developing a focused approach to pursue small-scale annexation so the town can better preserve green space leading to town; to protect the health of the Town Run headwaters; to promote pedestrian safety and walkability in town; to enhance the town infrastructure; to expand the support of local businesses and to bring more businesses to town; to enhance town and university connections; and to continue my work of the Age Friendly Fall Prevention subcommittee by working with the town to repair tripping and fall hazards for the safety of our community.”

Bartlett is an active member of the Age Friendly Shepherdstown Committee, Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Advisory Committee and Shepherdstown Area Independent Living. Further information about her can be found at marcybartlett.com or by emailing Marcy4TownCouncil@gmail.com.

Thomas

Amerikaner

Haynes