As mayor of Oil City, William P. Moon Jr. has a goal to move the city forward and provide a better quality of life for the residents and newcomers moving there.

Bill has served for almost two and a half years and his vision is to bring Oil City into the future with new technology and jobs to the area. He has six main goals for Oil City:

• Increase economic development and redevelopment
• Enhance financial sustainability
• Invest in community infrastructure
• Improve the city’s image
• Increase quality of life for residents
• Live within the city’s budget and keep the taxes low

Blight within the community and a shrinking local tax base are two challenges at the top of Bill’s list to tackle.

Since Bill began as mayor, some of the city’s accomplishments include: securing the Multi Modal HUB in the downtown area, assisting with the purchase of Cornplanter Square, and removing three deteriorated houses within the city limits. Bill has worked with City Council, PennDOT, and the County of Venango in these efforts.

As a way to give back and encourage community service among students, Bill started the Oil City Mayor Scholarship Fund through Bridge Builders Community Foundations. This annual $500 scholarship is for an Oil City High School Student who does 50 hours of community service in the Oil City area, which was awarded to Evelyn Sopher in 2017.

“The scholarship started by people offering a fee to the mayor for doing weddings and speaking engagements in the area,” said Bill. “I decided to start a fund to as a way to give back to both my alma mater, and the whole community.”

Bill is a lifelong resident and 1980 graduate of Oil City High School and Oil City Vocational Technical School.  He is a broker of Gates & Burns Realty, Inc. in Oil City, Franklin & Clarion, part owner with his father William P Moon.

As a former Oil City Councilman, a member of the Oil City Zoning Board, and vice president of Venango County Council for Government, Bill has been engaged within the community. He was trained by the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) to run City Government and is active with the following organizations: Venango County Economic Development Board, Venango County Land Bank, Oil Region Alliance Board, National Association of Realtors, Venango County Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, Allegheny Valley Board of Realtors, Southside Neighborhood Association, Venango County Association for the Blind, Oil City Main Street Program, and Oil City Arts Council & First Night Committee.

In addition, Bill was named Realtor of the Year in 2011 and is also a licensed notary. Bill is married to Robin J Moon with two children—William P Moon III, director and producer for WQLN in Erie, and Rebecca Stephens, 18/8 Fine Men’s Salon Manager in Austin, Texas.

“As a small business owner and resident, I have a vested interest in my hometown and community to prosper in years to come,” he said.

This article was published in the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce’s April 2018 edition of the VenangoWorks! Newsletter.