Marty Gordon
D. Michael Barber is set to begin his fourth term as the mayor of Christiansburg.
In the November election, Barber defeated retired educator Carl Pauli 5,961 to 3,449 votes.
This past week, Barber took a moment to look back on his time on council while looking ahead to the town’s future.
“I chose to continue as mayor because of my committed strong desire to serve the citizens of Christiansburg, and I wanted to help oversee the completion of passenger rail’s return to Christiansburg in 2027. This is a project I have been working on for over 10 years,” he said.
Before taking office as Mayor in 2014, Mayor Barber served on Christiansburg Town Council from 2000-2013. He also served two terms as vice mayor.
Currently, he is the chairman of the Passenger Rail Station Authority, which is charged with the final design and remodel of the train station.
“I am extremely excited for passenger rail to return not only to Christiansburg but the entire New River Valley. Conservative estimates project up 40,000 riders in the first full year of operation. The Rail Station Authority plans to develop the land and station to meet these needs. Currently we are planning on upgrading the parking access to the station with 150 parking spaces in a well-lit and secure facility along with upgrades to the existing station to provide a modern building to wait for embarking on the train,” he said.
Barber says he feels in his overall time both as a councilman and mayor, the town has shown tremendous growth and development.
“Places like the Market Place, Spradlin Farms and surrounding businesses have added tremendous venues for our citizens to shop and dine while the new Huckleberry Park has added a state-of-the-Art facility for outdoor recreation it complements our Recreation Center, Aquatic Center, Harkrader Sports Complex, neighborhood parks and the Huckleberry Trail by providing recreational venues both indoors and outdoors. I am so proud of the work done by current and previous councils to make these things happen.”
Barber also pointed to Christiansburg experiencing rapid growth.
“We are now the fourth largest town in the state with over 24,000, and it extremely important to me to continue to provide our citizens with the services and amenities they need to live, play, work and raise a family. Police, fire, rescue, public works departments that keep our citizens safe and protected, the roads open and the water flowing are critical to maintaining the lifestyles our citizens need and expect. This rapid expansion means we will continually have to grow and maintain our current services and infrastructure to meet these needs,” he said.
According to the governmental leader, Christiansburg as well as every other municipality is facing many challenges.
“There will continue to be shortages in affordable/work force housing/rental units, and it will become harder and harder to develop this type of property without the help of developers. Growth and development of available land to meet the needs of a fast-growing population’s demands. Loss of agriculture land, which creates needed housing growth but causes dissention with the surrounding neighborhoods, increased traffic, possible strain on existing infrastructures and increased needs for services are some of the challenges we now face,” he said.
His goal for the next year is to keep Christiansburg financially sound.
“Which we are now and have been for many years, providing the needed services to keep our citizens safe, protected and satisfied, while continuing to grow and prosper,” he said.
The new year also includes the hope to continue to work with council and town management to keep the locality financially sound and going in the right direction.
“We, as a government body, need to band together for the better good of our citizens, put political agenda’s aside, and work as a team united instead of divided,” Barber said.
He also took a moment to thank the retiring-town manager Randy Wingfield for his service to the community.
“Over the last nine years he has managed our town well. Thanks to his efforts working with our treasurer, staff and department heads we are financially sound, well run and continue to prosper.”
In turn, Barber looks forward to the next chapter with the hiring of Dr. Kimberly Eagle as the town’s new town manager.
“Dr. Eagle brings a wealth of knowledge to our citizens, and staff and I am truly excited to work with her as we continue to grow,” he concluded.
