CHARLESTON — The sound of a dozen conversations happening at once and the occasional outburst of laughter echoed reminiscent of pre-pandemic times at a legislative reception dinner in Charleston’s Hilton Embassy Suites on Wednesday night.
“With COVID you don’t know what to expect at these things. But I think people are missing the networking aspect and, you know, just the socialization so I think tonight people are here to, just get out and, and meet and greet people and have a nice time,” said Kristy Ash, executive director of the Preston County Chamber of Commerce, which co-hosted the event with the Monongalia County Chamber of Commerce.
Del. Terri Funk Sypolt, R-Preston County, said it’s always nice to be able to talk in an informal environment.
“A lot of times when you’re talking in an environment like this, you get more people that would gather around, you get more input, you get different input from different people,” Sypolt said. “And it’s really amazing what you can take back to the Capitol, from a gathering like this.”
People seem more at ease to share their ideas and concerns in settings like Wednesday night’s, Sypolt said.
“A lot of times, it’s the conversation that sparks an idea. Or somebody will say, ‘wow, I never thought about it like that,’ and it starts a domino effect,“ Sypolt said. “…And you wouldn’t believe the amazing things that can come out of the conversation by the end of the evening.”
Preston County Commissioner Don Smith said he was having fun at the reception. He agreed with Sypolt that the dinner was a good chance for people to discuss subjects they wouldn’t have a reason to talk about in a professional setting leading to different perspectives.
“Oh, this was a lot of fun. It’s just nice to talk to people I don’t get the opportunity to talk to a whole lot,” Smith said. “So it works out great.”
Ash said seeing such a great turnout, roughly 45 people attended, made it really worthwhile to come down.
Today is Preston & Mon County Day at the Legislature. Ash, Smith, and many other officials from the two counties – from health administrators to business owners, elected officials and government employees – will attend a series of meetings with various legislative secretaries to discuss issues such as roads, workforce development, and broadband access.
“It’s nice to be able to, you know, encourage our local businesses and organizations that are here just to speak to these people at the state level and you know, just let them know what Preston County has to offer,” Ash said.
