- What are your plans to create jobs in your district? Are there any particular industries you would like to bring into your district? What kind of legislation would you create in order to bring in out-of-state companies into the district?
- West Virginia has a lot of resources we have coal lumber and other natural resources. We use them along with better roads and a quality workforce. West Virginia has what it takes to entice industry to locate here. We use our bio technology innovations to assist in new developments like a coal gasification plant. We must partner with our universities to grow our technology base along with higher education to assist us with the information we need to attract business and industry to our state.
- With less tax revenue expected to come in to the state, what should be done with the state tax system? What are your thoughts on state taxes and do you have any plans to increase/decrease taxes in your represented district?
- West Virginia is doing better than most had expected, we need to keep phasing in the tax reductions on the food tax along with reducing income taxes for our retirees. We create an equitable playing field between our new and existing businesses when dealing with tax incentives. We cannot punish our exiting businesses in order to entice other businesses to locate hear.
- With crime, especially drug abuse, becoming a bigger problem in the area, what do you think should be done to cut down on drug activity in the district? Are there any pieces of legislation you would like to create to combat the rising local drug epidemic?
- As Huntington goes so does the surrounding area. We must partner our state, county, and local police agencies so they can work together to attack this problem. The magistrate system must place higher bonds on people arrested, or held for drug trafficking. We must provide adequate police protection for our citizens. Not in just drug abuse but in all aspects of law enforcement. Drugs are not a city or county problem it’s a regional problem and takes a regional approach to stop.
- Over the past 10 years the housing stock in several cities has been slowly declining. What could you do, as a legislator, to create/improve housing in the area? Should the problem be solved locally or on the state level?
- Home rule legislation has provisions for a land bank to help with abandon housing. Along with new legislative provision to allow cities to raise dilapidated and burned out structures and recover the cost of doing so. Cities must have more power to collect fees and require absentee land owners pay their fair share along with keeping their buildings in an acceptable condition. New legislation that would allow a city or county to remove these dilapidated housing with land owners or their insurance companies picking up the tab would help maintained neighborhoods and property values. Together we can rebuild our neighborhoods where people will want to locate again.
- What type of health care initiatives are you interested in introducing as a legislator? Do you believe the system is being utilized to its full potential, or can improvements be made? If improvements could be made, what are they?
- There are plenty of health care initiatives we could implement with and without legislation. Currently the only class of citizens without health care is the middle income working families. We need legislation to allow for a tax credit for companies that have health care, also a tax credit for anyone who has to pay for health care themselves. There are several differing ways we can lessen the amount of uninsured families, most of which becomes too lengthy to discuss in this form but we can not leave any option uninvestigated.
- Marshall University regularly has to compete with other colleges in the state for research funding dollars. Do you believe research and the furtherance of higher education in your district is important? Why? What do you plan to do to bring more funding dollars to MU? What would you do to ensure that MU would have the opportunity to continue its research initiatives?
- I will always support Marshall and our community. Furtherance of higher education and research at these universities are essential. With Marshall University being in Huntington it becomes even more important to our community. With the forensic science program at Marshall we need to make it a satellite laboratory for our over worked state forensic science lab. We need to market our research capabilities to businesses and utilize Senator Byrd’s appropriations committee chairmanship to assist us in gaining federal grants for research. We continue the Governors “Bucks for Brains” program. Use our affiliation with Cabell Huntington Hospital to gain medical research dollars, and with our new bio-technical collage, another area were we can achieve additional research dollars.
- What are the conditions of the roadways in your district? Are there any pieces of legislation you are interested in introducing to improve local roads?
- The roads in the 15th district are horrible and the state has very little paving scheduled in our district. Huntington will not have any of their state roadways paved this year and that is unforgivable. Route 10 has several areas of slippage and paving that needs to be addressed. From Huntington to Hamlin roads need paving; route 2s four lane projects should have already started. When you go north in West Virginia you see new or freshly paved roads and we have to start ensuring that our area gets its fare share. We need to fight for our bridges to be replaced like the Fifth Avenue Bridge that’s closed in Huntington. The county roads in the 15th district also need repairs and upgrades. With better roads and bridges we can open up the area to business and industry. We currently pay an additional 5 cents per gallon tax on fuel to do these repairs and upgrades.
- How do you plan to work with the state's Division of Highways to improve roadways in your district? What road and bridge improvements need to be made?
- Roads and Bridges are the infrastructure that opens areas to economic development and without widening and upgrading our roads we will not be open for business. Its time we demand the widening of route 2 to four lanes, route 10 and route 3 need straightening, and various bridges need to be repaired or replaced. Some roadways are plagued by flooding cutting areas off to expansion. Even some of our schools become cut off during times of hard rain and limit the education process. In order for us to spur growth we have to repair, replace and widen our roads and bridges. Closed Bridges like the Fifth Avenue Bridge at the Guyandotte River in Huntington have to be replaced. We have waited long enough to have these issues addressed.
- How do you plan to improve recreational activities in the area? Are there any parks, trails or playground projects you would like to focus on? How would these new recreational activities benefit the communities?
- By working with the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreational District I believe we can improve a very good system by expanding it to cover the Lesage and Hurricane areas. The bike and walk trails proposed in the Huntington area is a very good idea. The rails to trails program has worked well in other areas where they use rail lines no longer in service and turned them into bike, waking, and sometimes four wheeler trails. We also work with the Lincoln County Commission to grow and develop parks in the Hamlin and West Hamlin area. Anytime we can provide recreational activities everyone benefits. WV has a large overweight population, this can help reduce these problems and help our health care concerns through exercising and provide recreational activities.
- What areas of interest do you plan on focusing on as a legislator? Have you planned any legislation to be introduced?
- I was one of the first firefighters to arrive at the tragic Emmons Fire on January 13th 2007 where 9 people lost their lives. I decided at that time and was told by so many others that we need to make sure something like this never happens again. I intend to work for and pass legislation that all multiple story apartment buildings have self closing fire rated doors on all stairways, and an interconnected alarm system to worn occupants of a fire. Also I would like to work on creating an affordable health care system for all West Virginians. I wish to work on a way to establish timelines for repairs, straightening, and widening our roadways and bridges in Cabell and Lincoln Counties along with other infrastructure improvements we so desperately need. I also would like to work on ways to cut the taxes our working families are paying, and improve their access to our legislative process.
- REPLY IN FEWER THAN 50 WORDS: Students in West Virginia generally lag behind other countries in education. Do you favor more instruction days, adding merit pay for teachers, improving math and science instruction or some other option to improve education?
- I would consider more instructional days. West Virginia is having a difficult time keeping teachers especially in math and science due to low pay and substandard benefits. Merit pay is not the answer all it creates is a buddy system of pay raises. Let’s work with teachers not against them.
- REPLY IN FEWER THAN 50 WORDS: Many West Virginia cities are struggling with their long-term municipal pension obligations. What do you think the state should do to help cities deal with municipal pensions?
- I serve on a legislative subcommittee studying this. We are working on a combination of changes; refinance current debt, some new funding, along with additional contributions from employees and additional oversight. This approach will help the cities and employees fund these pensions without causing the cities additional financial distress.
- REPLY IN FEWER THAN 50 WORDS: What do you think the Legislature can do to improve work force development?
- Partner with higher education and the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship training programs and certifications. We can also utilize our community technical collages, and vocational education centers, and develop the skills, knowledge, and experience to perform in today’s market place. Entice business to use “executive shadowing” programs and internships.
