David Felinton
David Felinton is an American politician who served two terms as mayor of Huntington, West Virginia, from 2000 to 2008. He was elected while a student at Marshall University and was among the youngest mayors of a mid-sized U.S. city at the time of his election.
Education
Felinton graduated cum laude from Marshall University in 1999, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.Political career
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.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. In 2003, Felinton supported the use of state grant funding toward the development of Pullman Square, a mixed-use commercial project in downtown Huntington. 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. While the city council passed a resolution requesting that the painting be halted, Felinton declined to intervene, allowing the project to be completed.
In 2008, Felinton garnered national attention after publicly opposing a proposed salary increase twice for the mayor’s office, stating that the funds could instead be allocated toward municipal needs. Later that year, he was elected president of the West Virginia Municipal League for the 2008–2009 term. In November of that year, Felinton drew backlash following remarks in which he said that Huntington faced numerous economic challenges, stating that these issues were often a greater focus than the city being labeled the “unhealthiest” city.