by Delegates Joey Garcia and John Williams
As we hope for a renewed sense of normalcy in the Spring of Year 2 A.C. (After Covid), the enduring sport of baseball comes to mind. To attract young talent and convince our next generation to stay, rebuild, and succeed in West Virginia, we can start with a line from the classic baseball movie, Field of Dreams: “If you build it, [they] will come.”
Rebuild secondary roads
The lyrics of a modern remix of West Virginia’s theme song, “County Roads,” might mention potholes, bumps, slips and even the occasional impassable road. Roads are the most basic governmental service and the gateway to all the natural beauty contained in West Virginia. The 2017 Roads to Prosperity Bond was an important step to invest in roads infrastructure, but taxpayer money should be spent effectively and equitably throughout the State of West Virginia, including on secondary roads.
We are pursuing legislation to require the Division of Highways to follow a geographic funding formula for road monies throughout the state that is scientific, fair and equitable. Politics should not play any role in which counties receive funding to improve roads. Also, roads do not pave themselves. We need increased pay for state road workers to ensure sufficient manpower to rebuild our roads.
Rebuild high-speed internet
This past year highlighted the immediate need for a different type of infrastructure — affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband internet. Broadband internet allows students to communicate, teachers to educate, businesses to innovate and workers to relocate to West Virginia. Broadband internet also lets family and friends share their lives and “Facetime” until hugs and handshakes are again as common as masks. But broadband high-speed internet is not real for many West Virginians.
We have a unique opportunity to recruit remote workers to West Virginia from companies like Google and Amazon. More importantly, we can give our young people unlimited opportunities to follow their dreams while staying in West Virginia. To make this happen, our broadband high-speed internet must be improved where it is insufficient and installed where it is non-existent throughout our state, especially in rural areas. We need to make a massive investment in broadband internet like it is the priority and partner with our counties and municipalities to rebuild a road to connectivity.
Rebuild education and workforce training
Infrastructure is not limited to asphalt, bricks and mortar and fiber. We need to rebuild West Virginia’s human capital, the young people who will be the next generation of workers, entrepreneurs and leaders. Any business considering an investment in our state will expect a robust public education system to attract talent and generate a quality workforce.
West Virginia’s greatest commodity should be an assembly line of students receiving diplomas and certificates at our high schools, vocational schools, community and technical colleges, and universities. Unfortunately, the current Republican legislative leadership is actively passing legislation to defund our K-12 public education system and has even considered eliminating the Promise Scholarship.
We must rebuild our K-12 and higher public education institutions with adequate funding and also remember that keeping the price of an education fair and affordable will keep our young people in West Virginia to meet the workforce needs of the future.
Rebuilding our roads, broadband high-speed internet, and public education will present a pathway for future success in West Virginia. “If you build it, they will come.” And more importantly for parents and grandparents throughout this state, “If you build it, they will stay.”
Delegate Joey Garcia (D-Marion) is an attorney at Manchin Injury Law Group and a member of the House of Delegates from Fairmont. You can reach him at 304-340-3124 or joey.garcia@wvhouse.gov. Delegate John Williams (D-Monongalia) is a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual and a member of the House of Delegates from Morgantown. You can reach him at 304-340-3173 or john.williams@wvhouse.gov.
