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PARKERSBURG -- Candidates for the House of Delegates 12th, 13, and 14th districts support opportunities for job growth, economic development and better educational opportunities.
In the realigned 12th District House of Delegates primary race, Republican incumbent Vernon Criss and Democrat Jonathan Defibaugh are running unopposed in the primary.
In the realigned 13th District House race, Republican Scot Heckert is running unopposed. No Democrats filed to run for the seat.
In the realigned 14th District race, Republican incumbent D. Shannon Kimes will face Republicans Dave Foggin and Kevin Jay Siers in the primary. The winner will face Democrat Jim Marion,running unopposed, in the November general election.
Foggin could not be reached for comment.
Kimes, 45, has served the last two years as the former 9th District delegate. He is the owner of Kimes Steel & Rail Inc., a manufacturer of railroad track materials since 1986, He is a CWRU Graduate in Mechanical Engineering 1999. He is married and the father of three children.
"I believe West Virginia has a lot of potential that we are not achieving as quickly as needed," he said. "We need government reform to enable economic development by assisting the people pursing their dreams not the dreams of Charleston bureaucrats."
Siers, 57, is a former sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, a Desert Storm veteran and a retired Parkersburg firefighter and chaplain. He is a business owner and rancher with his wife of 39 years, Angela.
"I am running to make sure that our rural community and the other rural areas of the state are properly represented with a farmer's spirit of cooperation, first, but with the backbone to stand up and stand firm when necessary," he said. "If elected I give my word to always align Biblically and with the West Virginia and United States Constitution."
Jim Marion, 68, is retired from UPS. He's running "to get more jobs in the state we need to fix the roads, pay teachers more to keep them here, and let the teachers and the Board of Education make the decisions on education," he said.
Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com