Mayor of Huntington
Felinton was elected mayor of Huntington in 2000 and served until 2008. He sought a third term but was defeated by Kim Wolfe in the 2008 mayoral election. [4]
During his tenure,Felinton emphasized downtown redevelopment and municipal modernization initiatives. Early in his administration,the city expanded its online presence through the development of an official municipal website. [5] In 2003,Felinton supported the use of state grant funding toward the development of Pullman Square,a mixed-use commercial project in downtown Huntington. [6] The project became a significant commercial development within the downtown district.
In 2006,Felinton was involved in a dispute between the Huntington City Council and artist Jason Sansom after Sansom painted the 12th Street Bridge pink to raise awareness for Breast cancer awareness. [7] While the city council passed a resolution requesting that the painting be halted,Felinton declined to intervene,allowing the project to be completed. [8]
In 2008,Felinton garnered national attention after publicly opposing a proposed salary increase twice for the mayor’s office, [9] [10] stating that the funds could instead be allocated toward municipal needs. [11] Later that year,he was elected president of the West Virginia Municipal League for the 2008–2009 term. [12] In November of that year,Felinton drew backlash following remarks in which he said that Huntington faced numerous economic challenges, [13] [14] stating that these issues were often a greater focus than the city being labeled the “unhealthiest”city. [15] [16]
