First-time politician Greenlee is pitted against 28-year veteran.
On any given afternoon in Spencer you'll find crews hammering, painting and waving at traffic on the side of the road - but for once it's not because of summer road construction.
Joellen Greenlee, candidate for Mayor, has supporters working overtime in her race for the top city seat. They're building signs, painting billboards and asking citizens to show their support.
Greenlee, a first-timer when it comes to politics, will face Terry Williams, incumbent for the past 28 years, in the city election on June 14.
And for this small town the race couldn't be hotter.
"From the looks of things the whole town is starting to get involved with one side or the other," Dee Dee Miller, a volunteer for Greenlee's campaign said as she looked at the rows of yard signs that line the neighborhood sidewalks.
Greenlee agrees. "We've had people come to us pledging support and likewise we've had signs stolen and people coming to us with rumors. We are causing a stir - getting people's attention and that's what we want."
That sort of stir for a mayoral race has not been seen in Spencer for several years.
Williams has run unopposed all but four times in nearly three decades and has been under little pressure to campaign for his seat.
To Greenlee, that record indicates that it's time for a change.
"I think for Spencer to be a growing and fresh city, we need a fresh face in charge. Anyone would get stale holding that position for 28 years - I think it's time for us to go in with some new ideas and make some changes for the better," she said.
Greenlee is running for the highest paid per capita mayoral position in West Virginia. If elected, she will be the first woman in Spencer to hold the office.
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