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Wood County, Parkersburg candidates face voters

22 candidates attend forum

Wood County Commission candidates, from left, Rick Modesitt, Jimmy Colombo and Steve Smith share a laugh during the League of Women Voters of Wood County candidate forum Monday in Parkersburg City Council chambers. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — Candidates for Wood County commissioner, sheriff and clerk and Parkersburg mayor fielded questions during a candidate forum Monday evening in City Council chambers.

Nearly 60 people besides the candidates themselves attended the event, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wood County. Thirteen of the 17 Parkersburg City Council candidates also addressed the audience.

The three candidates for Wood County commissioner took the stage first — Republican Rick Modesitt, Democrat Jimmy Colombo and Libertarian Steve Smith. Moderator Kathy Stoltz read the candidates questions, many submitted by people in the audience.

Asked what changes they would make if elected, Modesitt said the commission has not met as frequently in the six years since he last was a member.

“I would propose that we go back to being the most accessible county commission in the state of West Virginia,” he said.

Wood County sheriff candidates Steve Stephens, left, and Brent West listen to instructions from the moderator during a League of Women Voters of Wood County candidate forum Monday in the Parkersburg Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

Colombo said he’d like to see the commission get more involved in water service extensions, while Smith said he would invite people to help him “rethink government.”

“Anyone can have an idea of how we can do things better,” he said.

Asked what they would do to support volunteer fire departments, Smith said he liked that the recently enacted fire fee directly goes to those services but wishes it could have been put before the citizens for a vote.

Colombo said that as mayor of Parkersburg he has encouraged the city’s department to work with others on training.

“I will listen to firemen. I will support firemen,” he said.

Parkersburg Republican mayoral candidate Tom Joyce, left, speaks to Democratic candidate Sherry Dugan before a question-and-answer session during a League of Women Voters of Wood County candidate forum Monday at the Parkersburg Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

Modesitt said that while on the commission previously, he supported increased funding to fire departments and the creation of a life insurance policy for volunteer firefighters, to help with recruiting.

Both candidates for Wood County sheriff — Republican Steve Stephens and Libertarian Brent West — answered a question about why the department needs more than 30 deputies by saying the number was too low. But they differed on how those deputies should be using their time.

West said drug addiction is a mental health issue, and the sheriff’s office should let health care resources deal with that and focus more on violent and property crimes.

“I feel that the sheriff’s office shouldn’t be wasting our time and resources,” he said.

Stephens, currently chief of confinement operations for the sheriff’s office, said deputies can’t screen their calls.

“The sheriff’s department (is) not wasting their manpower on dealing with the issues we have now,” he said.

Wood County Clerk Mark Rhodes, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Bob Buchanan agreed voters should have to show identification at the polls.

“I know that’s not the Democratic way,” Rhodes said. “I do think this is just one more way of ensuring that the citizens are comfortable with the voting.”

Buchanan said voter fraud is not a problem locally but could be elsewhere.

“If we lead, then many will follow by example,” he said.

Parkersburg mayoral candidates Democrat Sherry Dugan and Republican Tom Joyce found common ground on multiple issues, including addressing infrastructure needs to attract businesses, supporting current city efforts to address slum and blight by increasing demolitions of dilapidated structures and where to look to reduce fees.

“I do support tax relief and fee relief; however, I do feel that before we look at the user fee there are some other fees to look at,” Joyce said.

The police and fire fees, paid only by residents, should come first, he said, but any attempt to reduce fees requires cooperation with council.

Dugan said the user fee puts some of the burden for city services on those who work but do not live in Parkersburg.

“Let’s face it, we do have people that live in Williamstown, in Vienna and Belpre that use our streets” and infrastructure, she said.

She suggests cutting the police fee by $1 a month to start.

Both candidates touted their business experience — Dugan as owner of Das Rookhaus for 39 years, Joyce as an owner of St. Joseph’s Ambulance and as a longtime administrator first at St. Joseph’s Hospital and now at Camden Clark Medical Center — as being valuable to their ability to serve as mayor.

“I will gladly talk to anybody. I’m willing to listen,” said Dugan, adding that being mayor has long been a goal. “It’s something I have dreamt about.”

Joyce said while many of his peers live elsewhere, he was fortunate to be able to stay in Parkersburg.

“I believe in this community,” he said.

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