Councilwoman to seek the office of Monongahela mayor
A Monongahela councilwoman and business owner is seeking the office of mayor of her small Mon Valley city.
If elected, Claudia Williams would become the first Republican mayor of Monongahela in decades, and she also would be the first female to hold that office.
“We need a plan focusing on the financial well-being of the city,” said Williams, 67, who has owned CJ’s Furniture at 142 W. Main St. for 30 years.
“I hear so many community comments, so if I have to listen to them I probably should do something about them.”
Williams said she has been volunteering in the area for more than 50 years, having begun at the age of 12 at the fire department in nearby New Eagle, where she was born and raised.
She has been a driving force in major renovations to the city’s Monongahela riverfront stage, the Noble J. Dick Aquatorium, which has been hosting summer concerts for several years.
The city’s current mayor, Bob Kepics, has said he won’t run again for the office, said Williams and other city officials.
It was not immediately known Tuesday if anyone planned to run against her in the spring primary.
Williams is midway through a four-year term on council after having taken a break from local government. She was previously appointed to fill an empty seat on council, and then won election to council in 2008.