By Adam Pack
The Ronceverte Women’s Club hosted a Meet the Candidates event on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Ronceverte Fire Hall. The event allowed members of the public to ask questions of interest to area candidates.
Those present included County Commission candidates Blaine Phillips (R) and DeEtta King Hunter (D); State Senate District 10 candidates Stephen Baldwin (D – Incumbent), Vince Deeds (R), and Harry Forbes (I) with candidate Aaron Ransom (I) absent; Circuit Clerk candidates Louvonne L. Arbuckle (D – Incumbent) and Jamie Baker (R); County Clerk incumbent Robin-Yates Loudermilk (R) with her opponent, Kayla McCoy (D), absent; incumbent Mike Honaker (R) and Paul S. Detch (D) for State House District 46; and incumbent Todd Longanacre (R) and Heather Hill (D) for State House District 47, with Hill sending a representative to answer questions in her stead.
The first question was posed to those running for county commission and state legislative office: “With Amendment 2 as it is now, what provisions would be in place to protect emergency services and schools if it were to pass?”
Both the county commission candidates shared concerns regarding Amendment 2, with Phillips noting, “It’s about a $7 million dollar impact on the budget of the county” and the county’s services, and he would “hate to see them suffer.” Hunter shared this sentiment, stating “Amendment 2 is what funds a great part of your county, as well as your board of education.”
State Senate candidates Baldwin and Deeds disagreed with each other, with Senator Baldwin informing the crowd that “there are no such provisions [to fund services affected by the passage of Amendment 2]” in the Amendment if it were to pass. He stated that this move is effectively the legislature “taking your lunch money.” Deeds made a point to note that with a $1.3 billion surplus in the state, “We have a great problem here, arguing about which tax to cut.” Deeds did not outright endorse Amendment 2 but spoke of the good of “putting taxpayer dollars back in taxpayer pockets,” saying that those will return to the state in sales tax.
House candidates made similar comments, with Detch saying that three of the four Amendments on the ballot, including Amendment 2, amounted to “nothing but a power grab” by the state legislature. Hill’s representative did not speak on the issue. Delegate Honaker took a more moderate stance, noting that he has not done anything to support or oppose the bill, and would rather have it that “the governor and the senate had created a plan that would include income tax reduction but also address the car tax issue.” Delegate Longanacre was decidedly more in favor of the Amendment, saying “it’s not the state’s money, it’s the people’s money,” referencing the possible elimination of the vehicle tax.
The second question was posed to those running for legislative offices: “What is your stance on the issue of abortion?”
The Senate candidates differed starkly on this issue. “It is personal, it is private, it is exceedingly difficult,” said Senator Baldwin, and despite his own personal beliefs on the issue, he feels that, “I’m not here to legislate my personal religious beliefs. My rights end where somebody else’s begins.” Baldwin’s challenger Deeds said, “I am 100% pro-life” as a result of his Christian faith. Independent candidate Forbes made a similar argument, citing his experience with complications around his daughter’s birth. Though they could have aborted, they did not, and he concluded by saying “you never know for certain until it’s done.”
House candidates found little common ground, either, with Detch citing his personal experience with his first daughter, who was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, and explaining “I have two wonderful children only because of Roe v. Wade,” and the opportunity he says that it gave them to “spare her suffering before she ever knew anyone, had a thought, or had done anything.” In contrast, Delegate Honaker was a co-sponsor of House Bill 302 which recently passed into law and restricted abortion in West Virginia. He said, “You can depend on me to always vote pro-life.” Longanacre agreed, adding “In 2022, we can save both the mother and child in many cases.” His opponent disagreed, with Hill’s representative explaining that Hill “is an advocate for women’s health, and that this is a woman’s decision” and noted that she was a counselor at the Women’s Health Center for 12 years.
This next question was again addressed to those running for legislative positions: “What would be the first bill you propose in your respective body?”
Baldwin and Deeds spoke about their legislative priorities being tax reform and school safety, respectively. Baldwin said he had planned to propose legislation to rebate vehicle taxes, and Deeds proposed a statewide version of the program in Greenbrier County Schools to station off duty police officers in schools. Forbes said both were great ideas, but would, if elected, “propose a bill that every law, every legislation that we bring forth must pass constitutional muster before we vote on it.”
However, House candidates Detch and Honaker disagreed more sharply. For Honaker, the state’s $1.3 billion surplus is evidence of one thing: “We took too much of your money.” While not citing one particular bill, he said he would seek “comprehensive tax reform.” Candidate Detch went the opposite direction, saying that the surplus actually means “no one has any ideas on how to spend it.” To that end, he cited “1,200 teaching positions unfilled, and 1,000 correctional officer positions unfilled” as potential targets for those funds. Candidate Hill’s representative stated that Heather would bring “a resolution thanking President Biden for the bills which created the surplus.” Delegate Longanacre responded to this comment by saying that the surplus has come partially from federal funds, but that “deregulation of businesses” has led to business expansion, increasing revenues.
The next question was directed at candidates running for circuit and county clerk positions: “What would you do if elected to ensure your officer is capable of providing friendly and efficient service?”
County Clerk Loudermilk and Circuit Clerk Arbuckle leaned on their individual experiences currently serving these positions, noting the necessity of dealing with people courteously and with respect. Circuit Clerk candidate Baker spoke of her and her family’s experience with customer and public service as preparing her for the role of circuit clerk, “My grandfather’s a police officer, my mother works at the health department, my father is a pastor, and my husband is a police officer.”
The next question dealt with another amendment to the West Virginia constitution on the ballot this November, and was addressed to those candidates seeking election to legislative offices: “What are your feelings on Amendment 4 and education in West Virginia in general?”
Senate candidates once again differed sharply on the issue, though all agreed that the system is broken. After saying that “this amendment would put control of public school policy decisions into the hands of the legislature,” Senator Baldwin stated that while issues exist in the school system, he pointedly asked “does the legislature have the wisdom and experience to fix education in West Virginia?” Deeds was in favor of the Amendment and defended it by saying, “Amendment 4 is designed to streamline the education process, not dictate teachers or tell them what they’re teaching in the classroom.” Forbes stated his support indirectly, saying “when people are not held to account, they’re unaccountable by definition.” He said that by whatever means, whether Amendment 4 or otherwise, “we need to give the educational system back to the parents.”
The two House candidates provided differing views on the issue, with candidate Detch saying, “We have specialists, teachers, who have licenses, we have people with whole doctor’s degrees in education” and that they should be trusted to make educational policy. Delegate Honaker directly opposed this notion, saying that those that make policy and rules “are never held accountable by the citizens.” In contrast, with the passage of Amendment 4, if citizens are unhappy with the educational system, “it will be the fault of the legislature and you can vote us out,” Honaker said.
Delegate Longanacre responded by citing the problems with public education, asking “are we just gonna keep competing with Mississippi every year for last place?” Longanacre believes Amendment 4 will address some of the issues of public education, calling it a game changer. Hill’s representative said that this is a bad move, stating that this Amendment as well others on the ballot are “sucking power into the legislature.” Though the question was posed to legislative candidates, County Commission candidate Hunter weighed in with similar concerns.
The deadline for voter registration in Greenbrier County is Oct. 18, and early voting will be available from Oct. 26 through Nov. 5, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Greenbrier County Courthouse in Lewisburg, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Rupert Community Building. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.