An Interview with
Delegate Amy Summers
Joan Harman
A
my Summers is often described as “bubbly” and
“vivacious.” Her charming smile and sparkling
eyes can be disarming. But don’t let those adjectives fool
you. Amy Summers is a woman on a mission.
Summers, from Taylor County, didn’t like the
direction she saw the Mountain State headed in. The
state’s unfriendly business climate bothered her. Years
ago, she and her husband, Rod, had to leave the state
themselves to find work. Job opportunities for people in
her home county were few and far between, presently
with only two major employers - Arch Coal and WalMart. Many of those employed in the mines come
from outside her district. Infrastructure was crumbling
everywhere. And the state placed dead last or near the
bottom on every significant achievement list. Amy often
heard her dad say, “If you don’t like the way things are,
do something about it.” When Summers’ youngest child
left for college, she decided to do just that.
So, now she finds herself in Charleston as Delegate
Amy Summers, representing the 49th district. “This
is a good time to get here,” she says. Summers was
pleasantly surprised with the unity she saw among the
House leadership. “They have a vision, a plan to move
the state forward.” Summers was also impressed with the
work ethic of her fellow delegates – “a lot of people here
work very long hours.” Another surprise for Summers
was to see the many areas of expertise represented by
her fellow lawmakers. She feels it’s an advantage to
have a wealth of experience available when making
decisions. Summers, too, was able to bring her own
expertise to the table recently regarding legislation which
addressed liability issues for hospitals when treating
trauma patients. A paramedic and nurse with 29 years of
experience, Summers understood the very real danger of
hospitals refusing to treat trauma patients if they could
not have some protection from unreasonable lawsuits.
When Amy is not walking the halls of the capitol,
she’s at home in Grafton where she and her husband,
who works for the Department of Justice, have an Angus
operation. The Summers are parents to three children
– Sarah, a teacher at Ripley High School; Molly, who
works for Mylan Pharmaceuticals; and Zac, a freshman
majoring in Engineering at WVU.
Amy knows the changes she is seeking for West
Virginia won’t happen overnight. Among other things,
she believes that tort reform is needed and, if passed,
will help the state become much more competitive
with surrounding states and create more jobs for
West Virginians. She is very vocal about increasing
employment prospects so that people don’t have to leave
the state to find work, as she and her husband did. Amy
knocked on a lot of doors to get where she is today. And
now she’s hoping to open doors for greater opportunities
in the state she loves.
photo: WV House Photographer Perry Bennett
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 15