Meet the candidates: W.Va. 10th District House of Delegates

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - Bill Anderson is seeking another term for the House of Delegates seat he has held since 1992.

He believes his track record and experience makes him the best candidate.

“I believe my qualifications are that I have a strong background in education. So, I’m familiar with educational issues. I have a farm. So, I’m familiar with agricultural issues. And my political history and my experience in the legislature I think qualifies me to understand the legislative process to be very effective for the citizens of this community,” says Anderson.

Anderson says that a few of his focuses will be to keep taxes down and improved quality work force training for those seeking employment in the area.

“I think that is very important to provide quality work force training for potential employers who would come to the state,” says Anderson.

Anderson is a member of multiple committees.

One of them being energy and manufacturing, where he is looking to focus on more opportunity for both jobs and other sources of energy while keeping coal and natural gas.

“I do not believe we walk away from our traditional sources of generation of energy. Coal and/or natural gas – natural gas is a developing industry in this state and creating a lot of jobs,” says Anderson. “But I also think that we have to be open to take a look at these other energy sources.”

J. Morgan Leach is running against Anderson.

During his time attending law school at West Virginia University, one of his main topics was energy and sustainable development, which he hopes to continue focusing on if he is elected.

Leach says there needs to be changes in how the committee operates.

“We can’t just run the same playbook over and over and over again. I mean diversification is not a part of the playbook right now,” says Leach. “So, we’ve got to look at these opportunities, analyze them and develop policies that’s going to help create these opportunities in a fair way. Both for the employers that are coming to town and for the cities and municipalities and the counties in which they’re going to land in.”

As well as looking into more ways of economic development within the state.

Looking at ways of incentivizing people to stay and provide new job opportunities is what leach believes will be what keeps people in the state.

“So, we need to look to create these opportunities here. Create an opportunity to stay and work at home. And I think that that’s going to benefit the state as a whole,” says Leach.

Leach also wants the district to look into ways of not only providing more jobs, but to make the area more attractive as well.

“We need to make sure that we have some of these other services that are necessary to support them,” says Leach. “Which is not only things like daycare but improving our downtown areas to where there’s more social things to do.”

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