West Virginia Executive Summer 2016 | Page 33

[ politics ] Ask the Candidates compiled by Samantha Cart 2016 There’s a murmur of dissatisfaction running along our hills and through our hollows in West Virginia, and you don’t have to lean in far to catch it. There’s also a hint of hope in the air. As the political parties conduct their local and national campaigns, voters are preparing to answer the call of their civic duty, and it’s hard to imagine there’s ever been a more important time for the citizens’ voices to be heard than now. In light of the upcoming elections, West Virginia Executive (WVE) wanted to take a closer look at four office elections in particular that will have a major impact on the state. Not only will West Virginians be electing a new governor, but the seats for attorney general, state treasurer and commissioner of agriculture are up for grabs. West Virginia is standing at a crossroads, and with the current challenges facing the state’s budget and a dire need for new industry and a friendlier business environment for our entrepreneurs, those elected in 2016 to fill these seats will play a vital role in the Mountain State’s next chapter. Because of the importance of this election, WVE sought out the candidates of these four races from all four political parties: Democratic, Libertarian, Mountain and Republican. We asked the candidates a series of questions pertaining to their background, the challenges they have identified, their goals if elected and what their first action as an elected official will be. It is our hope that these Q&As will contribute to our readers making well-informed decisions about the future of this great state. Continued on the web www.wvexecutive.com summer 2016 31