BEDFORD — Skip Tharp began his third term as the city’s mayor Monday and said the city’s planned reversion to town status is a top priority.
“We’re closer than we’ve ever been and I hope we can conclude some talks by the end of the first quarter of this year,” he said.
City Council re-elected Tharp on Monday with one member absent. The seven-member council chooses its mayor and vice mayor every two years; council also re-elected Bob Wandrei as the city’s vice mayor.
Tharp, 63, has served a combined 16 years in two stints on council since first joining in 1992. He is the head of Tharp Funeral Home and Crematories, which operates in Bedford, Lynchburg, Smith Mountain Lake and Amherst County.
Tharp said it was a “sincere compliment” to serve again as mayor. A challenge for the city is “working with less to provide more” in terms of providing services during tough economic times, he said.
“Right behind that, if not in front of that, is working through our reversion process with the county to form one strong, viable government to move forward and be strong together,” he said.
Bedford, the county seat, was formerly a town and became an independent city more than 40 years ago. For the past few years city and Bedford County leaders have talked about details of potential reversion by the city, though the city has yet to officially begin the legal process.
Tharp, Wandrei and council members C.G. Stanley and James Vest were sworn in Monday. Stanley and Vest were re-elected to four-year terms on Nov. 2.
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