A New Beginning for Huntington
By Susan Nicholas
HQ 67 |WINTER/SPRING 2009
The photographs proudly displayed on the office walls of Huntington’s new mayor tell a lot about the man who has spent most of his career in public service. Many of the photos show Mayor Kim Wolfe with celebrities and politicians who have visited the city the Mayor is now helping lead. Wolfe often provided security escorts for those visitors during his years in law enforcement. There’s also a picture of Wolfe with former President Ronald Reagan and Wolfe’s wife Deborah after she won the Mrs. America Pageant. President Reagan had seen Deborah Wolfe on NBC’s Today Show and he was impressed by Deborah’s comments on family values. The former President then invited the Huntington couple to the White House. That visit made a strong impression on Wolfe, a man who would later win elected office himself many times. And just as Reagan helped lift the country’s spirits during a troubled period, Wolfe is hoping to help Huntington return to its roots of prosperity.
“Huntington is on the verge of great things,” Wolfe said. “I know the city has challenges but I’m an optimist. I believe the glass is always half full.”
Mayor Wolfe started out as a Huntington police officer in the early 1970s and he went on to serve two terms as Cabell County Sheriff. During those years in uniform, he was often seen riding around town on a horse. He helped start the mounted horse patrol and he created the “Don’t Horse Around with Drugs” educational program for children in the community.
“My riding days are not over,” Wolfe said. “I am currently looking for a mare to ride in parades.” Any questions about Wolfe’s physical fitness were also likely resolved during a push-up contest with actor Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey was in town for the filming of “We Are Marshall.” The actor dropped to the street and challenged the Sheriff to an endurance contest. “I’m much older and not as fit as Matthew,” Wolfe said. “But I didn’t want to quit until he did. We must have done 40 push-ups when Matthew finally stopped and said, ‘O.K. I guess you can still do push-ups.’ It just proves you don’t tell a West Virginian they can’t do something.”
That type of determination will help Mayor Wolfe as he tackles the challenges facing Huntington. The pension system for police officers and firefighters is seriously under-funded and it takes a larger portion of the city’s budget each year to keep the system going. Wolfe himself is a recipient of some of those funds as a retired officer, and he has plans to work with the legislature and the police and fire unions to get the problem under control. The Mayor says the city’s infrastructure also needs attention and more funding.
Those problems can’t be solved by the Mayor alone, and he’s trying to forge a strong relationship with city council. “I’ve been very encouraged by the first meetings with council,” Wolfe said. “I campaigned on a safer, cleaner and more prosperous Huntington and I think members of council share my vision.”
Mayor Wolfe can trace his family’s roots back several generations in this region. His ancestors were some of the original settlers in Cabell County. Wolfe himself has lived here his entire life. He and his wife have raised a large family and they are all guided by a strong religious faith. The Wolfes have eight children and nine grandchildren. Several of the kids are now grown and a few have moved to other parts of the country. That urge to leave home never struck Mayor Wolfe. “Debbie and I have had opportunities to move away,” Wolfe said. “We have traveled all over the world but we like it here.” The Mayor is hoping to help create jobs and opportunities so more families will want to stay in Huntington.
Mayor Wolfe is also encouraged when he hears about people who move to Huntington from other parts of the country. He recently met a woman who came here from New York. She told him she relocated here because she was looking for a city with hospitals, a university, arts programs, and safe living for seniors. “She didn’t have any relatives here,” Wolfe said. “She did a Google search on her computer and found Huntington and decided to move here.” Another new resident told the Mayor he moved here from Florida because he liked what he saw in the “We Are Marshall” movie. “Hearing stories like these reassure me Huntington has huge potential,” Wolfe added. “Huntington’s best qualities are shaped by the character of the people who live here.”
In addition to horses, Mayor Wolfe also attracts attention when he’s behind the wheel of his replica sheriff’s car like the one seen on “The Andy Griffith Show.” A few years ago before actor Don Knotts passed away, Wolfe was escorting the Morgantown native around Huntington. Wolfe had the man who played “Barney Fiffe” autograph the vehicle. The signed cruiser is now on display at a car museum in West Huntington.
Mayor Wolfe cherishes many of the values that played out on that old TV show about life in a small town. Huntington is far different from the fictional town of “Mayberry” and its problems can’t be solved in a half hour like it happens on television. The Mayor believes it will take years to turn things around for the city’s finances. But just like in that push-up contest, he’s is ready for the challenge.
