About Robb
Richard A. (Richie) Robb was born March 1, 1946 in Huntington, West Virginia He has been married to the former Vicky Fauver, a reading teacher at Sissonville High School and ice skating instructor, for 31 years. They have two children. Their daughter, D’Arcy, is engaged to be married this summer to Todd Borek, meteorologist for WSAZ TV. D’Arcy is a news producer for that same station. Their son, Ty, is a junior at Marshall University majoring in history.
Richie is a graduate of South Charleston High School where he played football, basketball and baseball. He received a football scholarship to Marshall where he was captain of the football team and president of his senior class. Richie majored in history and was also in ROTC.
Upon his graduation he was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army in military intelligence. He served in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star. Both Richie’s parents, now deceased, were involved in local community activities and encouraged his interest as a youth.
In 1975 Richie was elected at age 29 of his hometown of South Charleston. He was elected eight consecutive terms serving a total of 32 years as mayor of the district’s third largest city. He has been both the youngest and longest serving mayor of that city. While serving as mayor he commuted to Capital University in Columbus, Ohio and earned a law degree in that institution’s part-time legal program.
During his tenure as mayor Richie served as President of the West Virginia Municipal League, the association of all cities and towns in the state, and chairman of the local regional intergovernmental council of elected officials from Boone, Clay, Kanawha and Putnam Counties for two terms.
As mayor he oversaw the construction of the South Charleston Community Center, West Virginia’s foremost recreational facility, an expanded library, the development of Little Creek Park, Little Creek Country Club and the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena named in honor of the victims of 9/11.
As mayor Richie served as West Virginia’s representative to Sister Cities International paying personally for two trips to Northern Ireland and Morocco to foster greater understanding among people in our communities. While in Belfast he observed the economies of regional rail mass transit.
As mayor he promoted aid to education at all of the city’s schools and actively supported every school bond levy election. Usually he was the only elected official in Kanawha County to do. Early during his tenure as mayor he chaired the committee which lead to emergency ambulance service in Kanawha County. Richie based this concept upon his experiences in Vietnam. He was also active in regional transportation matters promoting alternatives to metropolitan highway congestion through regional rail transport and bicycle paths. Richie has also been active in supporting the alternative of publicly-financed elections in West Virginia and the adoption of the bottle bill for aiding our environment. Under Richie’s leadership, South Charleston was the only city in West Virginia adopting a resolution to end US involvement in Iraq. Richie was always active in the promotion of economic development as South Charleston remained one of the state’s most prosperous cities notwithstanding substantial economic changes over his years in office.
Richie enjoys traveling with his family and reading nonfiction. He still plays sandlot basketball and tennis as well as watching all sports in person or on television. Over the holidays he played the role of Herr Drosselmeyer in the Charleston Figure Skating Club’s presentation of the "The Nutcracker on Ice." He is currently a practicing attorney in South Charleston.
