PARKERSBURG - Six Republican candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., in the state's 1st Congressional District attended a forum Monday evening to introduce themselves and answer questions from the public.
About 75 people gathered at the Judge Black Annex on Market Street for the congressional candidate forum organized by the Parkersburg Tea Party.
Mollohan and the other Democrat in the congressional race, state Sen. Mike Oliverio, D-Monongalia, did not attend the forum. Event organizer Sandra Staats said all candidates were invited.
Each candidate was invited to make a five-minute introduction to the audience before a question and answer session. Candidates spoke on job creation, federal government regulations and threats to the coal industry in West Virginia.
Cindy Hall, owner of a real estate and management company in Wheeling, called herself a social and fiscal conservative. Hall, a licensed pilot, is a partner in an aviation company and director of the Wheeling Downtown Business Association. She spoke on her opposition to large government and the proposed health care reform.
"We need change. We need to bring business back by taking care of our own towns and then working out from there," said Hall. "I am a Tea Party patriot."
Hall said the focus of her campaign is the encouragement of a robust economy.
Patty Levenson of Wheeling spoke about her commitment to family and the country's deficit. She called for a review of the tax code.
"Family - that's why I am here. It's for them that I'm fighting this fight," she said. "No one will take our freedoms away from us."
Levenson said the tax code has become too cumbersome and the government is pulling money from the private sector and giving it to non-producing special interests.
Mac Warner of Morgantown was born and raised in Charleston. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and owner of a real estate business, Warner said his top priority is the creation of jobs.
"This election is about jobs. Profit is not an evil thing. Unleashing capitalism will allow the country to get back on its feet," said Warner. "When you get to keep what you earn, that's an initiative to do more."
Warner touched on the threat to West Virginia's coal industry and his hope to limit government regulations to allow for an energy-independent policy.
"The government shouldn't be picking the winners and losers. A lot more should be decided by the states," he said.
Sarah Minear, who served three terms in the state Senate from 1994 to 2006, is a native of Tucker County.
"It is clear that Washington has failed us," she said. "There have been record job losses and a takeover of the health system. I don't know all the answers, no one does. But I know where to find them," she said.
Minear is a proponent of successful health insurance reform that ends the ban on pre-existing conditions. She is in favor of a comprehensive energy plan that expands the state's energy-producing industries.
David McKinley of Wheeling, founder of an architectural and engineering company, represented the 3rd District in the state Legislature from 1981 through 1994. He spoke about his passion to create jobs and his hope to restore the coal industry.
"We need to create an environment where people want to invest in West Virginia. The war on coal has got to stop," he said. "Coal creates jobs; it is the backbone of West Virginia."
Tom Stark of Parkersburg served in the U.S. Air Force before his 20-year career in management positions with private-sector employees.
"I am still waiting to see someone step up and offer specific solutions to our federal problems," he said. "Our tax system is totally broken. The government is taxing you for working hard. The budget process also needs to be revised tremendously."
Stark is a proponent of consumption-based taxes and is opposed to regulations by the federal government on the state's coal industry.
