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Time for leadership in W.Va.

In this political season we all tend to focus on the wild and crazy race for President, with all its vicious overtones. But we all need to remember the critical importance of the “down ballot” state and local races for our communities, our state legislators and our statewide elected officials. It’s time that we choose leadership for our elected positions in WV, and remove the old and tired political hacks of 30 plus years in office and remove the professional politicians for new, effective thinkers and doers that will drive WV’s future growth and development.

Let me present a few of these dynamic new leaders. They happen to be new leaders in the Democratic Party.

Gregory K. Smith is a candidate for the unexpired State Senate term for District 3. Greg is the former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of WV, where he brought hundreds of jobs to Parkersburg and saved many more from being outsourced, all the time while taking the Blue Cross plan from one of the worst in the nation, to one of the best in the country, bringing in contracts with Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Clinic, the National Railroad account and others. He built the new Blue Cross headquarters on Market Street and consolidated the agency into an efficient organization, while at the same time adding hundreds of jobs. He and his team were a local success story.

Greg’s platform includes improving the coordination of all levels of career education to strengthen skilled job training. He pledges to seek a two year freeze on all small business regulations in the State and to review all existing regulations. He wants to launch a statewide roads, bridges and broadband initiative funded by public and private partnerships. He stresses the need to expand the war on drugs with better rehabilitation programs and to implement a drug education curriculum in the fourth grade. He will support legislation that limits total legislative service to eight years to encourage new and innovative ideas. He plans to work to build the Cracker and use state and local support to get it done. He is a lifelong West Virginian, former high school teacher, past member of the WVUP board of Governors and a former member of the WV Economic Development Authority. He previously served in the WV House of Delegates.

His opponent is Republican Mike Azinger, a right wing member of the House of Delegates who has been leaning on his Daddy’s name and service in the Legislature, and who actually voted against the final budget for the State because it was a compromise budget.

Bradley VanZile is a candidate for the full term State Senate seat in District 3. Brad is a long time resident of Pleasants County who is a proud union member with Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 565 in Parkersburg. He served his country as a 15-year member of the U.S. Army, including deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Brad plans to work to repeal “Right To Work” (which suppresses good paying Union jobs in WV), to reinstate “Prevailing Wage” (which ties pay of construction workers to the higher union wage and prevents cheap outside unskilled workers from filling these job), and to fight for all WV workers. He also plans to fight the growing drug problem by supporting harsher penalties for drug dealers and traffickers, and to work to expand drug addiction treatment and education in WV. A main goal is to protect the rights of property owners and all WV citizens. He believes that we need to strengthen the pay and benefits of teachers, service personnel, law enforcement and other public employees to be able to compete with surrounding states.

His opponent is incumbent Republican Senator Donna Boley, a 30-plus-year politician. See if you can remember 10 things in the past 30 years that she has accomplished.

There are five innovative new Democratic candidates running for the House of Delegates. They promise new leadership and new insight into solutions for the problems facing our State.

David Bland is seeking election to the House of Delegates District 8 position. David believes the answer to most of our State’s problems lie in growing our State economy, bringing about diversification while protecting an environmentally responsible coal industry. He is the grandson of a coal miner. David sincerely believes that we must bring living wage jobs to our community and not damage the higher paying union jobs with “Right to Work” legislation and “Prevailing Wage” changes. He pledges to fight the drug epidemic, cut government waste and balance the State budget in a timely and fair manner.

His opponent is incumbent Republican Delegate Bill Anderson, again a 30 plus year politician. It is time for effective and innovative new leadership to replace the same old tired professional politicians in office for 30 years.

There are three strong Democratic candidates for the three seats for House of Delegates 10th District. They are Andy Daniel, J. Morgan Leach, and Bill Merriman.

Remember the innovative campaign during the primary election asking “Who is Andy?” That innovative candidate is Andy Daniel, a life-long resident of Parkersburg and son of retired life-long local teachers. He is a carpenter who owns his own “3D Construction” business. He is a job creator who believes a Delegate should know how to create jobs, and understand that the future of our State is in the hands of our children.

J. Morgan Leach is a bright young recent law school graduate of WVU who has decided to return to his community to share his ideas for state economic growth with his hometown. You need to talk to this young man to understand his energy, his enthusiasm and his knowledge of the problems facing the state, as well as his proposed solutions.

Bill Merriman believes we need to help our coal communities to recover from economic depression, and that the fight should be for “reasonable” regulations to protect our environment, not the heavy hand of the EPA. He is a local attorney who believes our State and region is currently “on the wrong ship” of forcing a Right To Work law for lower wages that will do nothing to raise WV from ranking 50th in everything good and 1st in everything bad. He feels we need to strongly tackle both the illegal drug problems as well as misuse of legal prescriptions, which lead to dependence and illegal use. He supports the development of oil and natural gas in our State, but is concerned that “fracking” may have long term problems for health and safety unless we have reasonable monitoring and oversight. He believes our State’s economy and tax base must be improved to allow funding of education and other priorities.

Daniel, Leach and Merriman are running against three career Republican politicians in Frank Deem, John Kelly, and Vernon Criss.

The final local legislative candidate is Jim Marion, running for WV house of Delegates 9th District. A long time labor leader opposed to “Right To Work” for less, and who is for re-establishing the “Prevailing Wage” law, Jim wants to re-train unemployed miners and ensure they have continued benefits. He believes the State needs more drug treatment facilities and needs to retain qualified teachers who now leave the State for better pay and benefits. His opponent is newcomer Republican Ray Hollen.

There are many other new and seasoned candidates on the ballot representing a clear Democratic choice, including Mark Rhodes (incumbent County Clerk), Parkersburg Mayor candidate Sherry Dugan, and others. But a word needs to be said about the Democratic Governor candidate Jim Justice.

Jim Justice is not a politician but a successful business owner who grew his family’s farm into the largest agricultural operation east of the Mississippi. He owns coal mines in WV and has worked to keep miners employed. He purchased the Greenbrier Resort and restored it from near bankruptcy into the State’s premier tourist destination and brought the PGA to WV with the “Greenbrier Classic” golf tournament. It is not “politics as usual” with Jim, as it is with his Republican opponent Bill Cole.

He will bring a business approach to government. He will save vital services but make hard decisions on cutting costs and government bureaucracy. He wants to get politics out of the educational classroom. He wants to find WV’s “niche” crop and asks “Why can’t we have the next Vidalia onion or Idaho potato?” He will promote our agricultural products as “Almost Heaven,” which will greatly aid our State’s image. He will protect our coal industry and our oil and natural gas development, while investing in alternative energy sources of wind and solar. He is an innovative thinker and doer.

There are many reasons to vote Democratic in this election year, particularly for our State and Local races. Remember theses good candidates when you go the polls. And remember to vote on Nov. 8. Your job may depend upon it!

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Curtis Dickson is a member of the Wood County Democratic Executive Committee. He is a retired public health official with 43 years experience in five different states, including serving as Executive Director of the six county regional Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department headquartered in Parkersburg.

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