Economic development dynamo and first-term mayor Anne Cavalier is raising up Smithers like a phoenix from the ashes.
“I’ve been in Smithers 53 years this June. I married into the city and into a legacy of public service. I seem to have—late in life—picked up that public service baton and run with it,” Cavalier said.
“Desperation is a strong motivator and, when I took office, we simply had no place to go but up. For our area residents, coal left them behind starting in the 1980s, and more jobs were lost every year. The Charleston Town Center mall and changes to the Interstate 64 plans that rerouted it away from Route 60 had the combined impact of closing many local businesses. WVU Tech closed in Montgomery and Valley High School in Smithers. By 2018, when I was asked by the voters to serve as their mayor, they needed to have trust restored. They needed hope and plans to believe in. They needed to see positive progress.”
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