Emmett Pepper
Candidate for Charleston · City Council At Large
- Age
- 49
- Education
- B.A., Political Science; J.D.
- Occupation
- Attorney and advocate
Emmett Pepper is an at-large member of the Charleston, West Virginia, City Council, serving on the Ordinances & Rules and Environment & Recycling committees. Emmett is an attorney that helps people struggling with debt and advocates for lower energy costs. Emmett is a long-time volunteer and board member of the West Virginia International Film Festival. He lives in the East End neighborhood with his wife, Emma, and sons Adlai and Ansel.
Why I'm running
I have a track record of my five years in office of working collaboratively to solve problems. From my first bill to strengthen our vacant structures law, to helping fine tune others' bills, I put in the work necessary to do what is best for Charleston. It is my goal to identify issues, learn from other cities, and then adapt best practices for what works for us here. I have a good working relationship with Mayor Goodwin and the committee chairs in Council. I will continue my commitment to the forward-thinking solutions that are needed to move our city forward.
Beyond the ballot: Three questions
We asked candidates three questions about mistakes, disagreements and changing their minds. Their answers offer readers a look at how they reflect on their decisions, navigate difficult situations and approach public service beyond their policy positions.
1. A decision I got wrong
Tell us about a time you made a decision that you later realized was wrong. What led you to that decision, how did you respond when you recognized your mistake, and what did you learn from the experience?
2. Standing by my convictions
Describe a time you disagreed with someone whose support, approval or relationship mattered to you. How did you handle the disagreement, and what ultimately guided your decision?
3. Changing my mind
What is one belief or strongly held opinion you have changed your mind about? What caused you to reconsider your position, and how would that experience influence the way you serve in public office?
Where I stand on the issues
Candidates rated their agreement with five statements about issues affecting their communities, using a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
City Council should be willing to approve public funding or financial incentives for the redevelopment of major privately owned downtown properties, even if doing so means less funding for other city priorities.
“I think we should continue to enact financial incentives for new development, but also create disincentives for the properties that are vacant and undeveloped, because they hurt our neighborhood. I do not think we should reduce funding for other city priorities, though.”
City Council should direct more funding toward rehabilitating vacant and deteriorating homes rather than demolishing them, even if rehabilitation costs more per property.
“When Mayor Goodwin took office, there was a backlog of buildings that needed demolished. We have been spending significant funds to address that backlog. Unfortunately, it still exists. However, I do think we also need to continue to focus funds on rehabilitating buildings that are able to be rehabilitated. We need public-private partnerships for that to be successful.”
City Council should allocate more funding to housing assistance and homelessness services rather than expanding enforcement efforts targeting public camping and other activities associated with homelessness.
“I do think we need to continue to enforce criminal activity against our residents, regardless of housing status. But we also need to continue to utilize the CARE Team to help people access services. We can't arrest our way out of the homelessness issue, but we do need to enforce laws and protect victims of crimes.”
Charleston City Council should allocate more street paving and drainage funding to neighborhoods with the greatest documented infrastructure needs, even if that means some wards receive less funding than others.
“We already allocate funds and paving as needed, not based on each ward getting the same amount. In other words, some wards receive less funding than others some years and other years they get more.”
Charleston should direct more public funding toward improving existing residential neighborhoods to attract and retain residents, even if that means reducing funding for downtown development projects.
“I don't see it as a zero-sum situation. We need to invest in parks and neighborhood infrastructure in residential areas. I authored and helped pass a policy that says that we should have a park within a half-mile walk of nearly all (75% of) residents in the city. The way we will reverse population declines is to make a city that people like to live in. A vibrant downtown and attractive neighborhoods are both needed.”
Responses are presented as submitted by candidates. An unanswered item does not imply agreement or disagreement.