Oak Hill swears in city’s first African-American mayor

OAK HILL, W.Va. (WVVA) – The City of Oak Hill officially has a new mayor, the first African-American in the city’s history to fill the role.

Charles Briscoe was sworn-in on Thursday evening in front of a crowd of supporters. He defeated incumbent Mayor Danny Wright in the election held this past June.

Briscoe currently works as the Raleigh County Community Corrections Coordinator, putting offenders to work on community improvements.

On the campaign trail, he pledged his commitment to being a good steward of taxpayer dollars, calling into question the city’s recent purchase of a historic bank building in need of thousands of dollars in repairs. Ultimately, it was a message that resonated with voters — he won with 67 percent of the vote.

He also promises to build a better business climate for potential investment and infrastructure development.

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