MORGANTOWN – Two Monongalia County delegates met with The Dominion Post Editorial Board to answer some questions on the issues as they seek reelection in November.
Democrat Evan Hansen and Republican Joe Statler both represent the current 51st House District and are running for seats in the newly drawn 100 single-member district House.
Statler is running for the 77th District against Democratic challenger Ben Swanson; Hansen is running for the 79th against GOP challenger Zach LeMaire. Their opponents did not respond to requests to be interviewed.
Statler, of Core, is the only current Mon delegate from the west end of the county. Before election to the House, he served 10 years on the Monongalia County Board of Education. He is seeking a fourth term. His terms were not consecutive and before being returned to office in 2020 he served as a legislative liaison for Mon County for two years.
Statler is vice chair of the Education Committee and chairs the Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services Committee.
Hansen is an environmental scientist and a principal in Downstream Strategies. The company has 18 employees including some who returned to the state to work there, he said,
He is seeking a third term. He led passage of bipartisan solar energy bills and has led efforts to help revitalize suffering coal communities.
They fielded a question on their views of the rival tax relief plans: the Senate’s plan to eliminate the tax on business inventory, equipment and machinery, and the vehicle property tax – if Amendment 2 is approved by the voters – and the House’s and governor’s plan to cut the personal income tax.
Hansen said, “I don’t support either of the plans in their current form.” While the state is running a surplus – $1.3 billion in the last fiscal year – he’s not convinced that surplus is what it seems. It comes from one-time federal COVID and infrastructure money and an artificially flat budget that doesn’t fund personnel and infrastructure.
“I would like to see these things settle out … to see whether we really do have a surplus,” he said. If so, he’s all for tax breaks.
Statler said it needs more study. Amendment 2 offers some confusion. Voters aren’t sure if they’re voting on an actual tax cut or just enabling the legislature to change the code if the amendment passes.
“We do not have the plan in place” if the amendment passes, he said. People want some certainty about what will be done. The Senate has been promoting its plan but the House doesn’t agree.
“I do believe that we need to look at the taxes the people are paying … and where it’s possible and feasible we need to roll those taxes back. That may require some government downsizing, though they need to look at state employee pay,” he said.
They took a question on how they would use the spendable portion of the budget surplus.
Statler said they would first have to look at tax structure, and the method for setting the budget. He’s not sure they are using the right numbers when the budget is set, which creates an artificial surplus. Severance taxes are high, contributing to the surplus, but they fluctuate.
He’d like to see more spent on roads, he said. DOH workers are underpaid, especially compared to private sector. EMS services are underfunded and some are folding. And education should be a priority. “There’s plenty of areas where we can look at that surplus money.”
Hansen mentioned the governor’s state of emergency declared to use National Guard members to make up for the corrections officer shortage. EMS needs money. The Legislature has taken some steps for teachers and state troopers but more needs to be done, he said.
He’s introduced bills in the last couple sessions to pay for more oil and gas well inspectors, but the bills haven’t moved. There’s only one inspector for every 7,500 wells. “That’s a crisis that needs to be addressed.”
In the wake of the abortion law passed during the special session, they were asked what they would do to help mothers.
Hansen said he opposed the abortion law update. “It’s essentially an abortion ban in West Virginia with very limited exceptions.” It’s out of step and needs to be revisited, with the idea that abortion services are essential healthcare, he said.
Women need access, he noted, with reasonable restrictions, and should be trusted to make the decisions about their own lives. Beyond, kids should have a world class education and there should be programs to address child hunger.
Statler said there is a group in the House working on that issue. The state needs to provide what mothers and fathers require to raise and care for kids. “It’s a family problem.” People don’t know where to go to get help, and some services are difficult to obtain because people cant navigate the system.
Families need transportation to get to the services. Kids need food and education. “These are all barriers that we must look at.” And kids should be kept out of foster care. “We’re doing poorly with the foster care system.”
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
