Matt Ford discusses his bid to become the next Greenbrier County Commissioner
By Matthew Young, RealWV
“I don’t want to be a county commissioner to impose my will – my priorities are going to be whatever the county’s priorities are.”
That’s what Rainelle-resident Matt Ford told RealWV this week, while discussing his desire to complete the unexpired term of former Greenbrier County Commissioner Tammy Tincher. Ford is the founder and co-owner of the Greenbrier Environmental Group, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Meadow River Valley Association.
“Once we figure out what those priorities are, we can figure out how best to move different things through and get funding,” Ford said. “I think my experience as a grant writer and project manager helps a lot with that.”
Through his work with the Meadow River Valley Association, Ford and his team recently completed a seven-year-long transformation-project at the old Rupert Elementary School, which was left unusable after the catastrophic flooding of 2016. The former school building has been converted into a state-of-the-art 20-unit apartment building, which includes 14 affordable housing units. As President of the Greenbrier Environmental Group, Ford has overseen the installation of more than 19 miles of non-motorized trail along the Meadow River, between Greenbrier and Fayette Counties.
And though aware of his reputation as “the Meadow River guy,” Ford’s interest and focus also lies beyond the borders of Western Greenbrier. In response to the 2016 flood, Ford co-founded and chaired the Greater Greenbrier Long-Term Recovery Committee, and serves on the board of directors of the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation and Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation.
Along with the announcement of his candidacy, Ford presented Greenbrier County residents with a survey where they can share their thoughts and concerns regarding the communities in which they live.
“People have concerns about Fire and EMS funding, concerns about the SportsPlex project, and how to increase business,” Ford said. “There were a lot of responses related to the schools. Of course the school system is outside the purview of the county commission. But even though Greenbrier County doesn’t manage the schools, we’ve got the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation and other organizations that can partner with the schools, and get businesses involved with the schools so people can see real-world things that they can do and get ideas.”
“We’re already doing some of that at Greenbrier West, but I think there’s an opportunity there to get students more involved,” Ford continued. “A lot of the comments talk about the need to bring businesses. But government doesn’t open businesses, it creates the environment for businesses to be successful.”
Through his work with the Greenbrier Environmental Group, Ford explained, he is heavily involved in large-scale development projects.
“I’m involved in the Century Aluminum redevelopment in Ravenswood (Jackson County),” Ford noted. “You take a huge site like that that’s got everything you need – it’s got rail, it’s got water, it’s got all the power you need – it’s like your ideal location for industry. When a developer is looking at properties, they’re going to pick that site over somewhere in Greenbrier County that doesn’t have natural gas, or doesn’t have access to the interstate.”
“I think it’s going to take more people like myself and others who grew up here,” Ford added. “I don’t know if stubborn is the word, but this is where I’m going to work and where I’m going to live, and where I’m going to run a business and help other people be successful. I think you have to promote more of that to make businesses open up.”
Although living in Germany for three years in his youth due to his father’s service in the U.S. Army, Ford is the seventh generation of his family to live between eastern Fayette and western Greenbrier Counties.
While Ford began elementary school in Germany at a Department of Defense Dependent School, his family returned to Greenbrier County in time for him to begin first grade at Quinwood’s Crichton Elementary.
“We’ve been in West Virginia ever since,” Ford added.
Former Commissioner Tammy Tincher resigned her position in late October, after accepting a position with the National Association of Counties. Another former Greenbrier County Commissioner, Woody Hannah – whom Tincher defeated for the position in 2018 – was appointed to the commission in an interim-capacity until the general election in November.
“I’ve been working on economic and community-development projects and programs in the county for a number of years now, and I’ve always been interested in the role [of county commissioner]” Ford said. “I remember having a discussion with Blaine Phillips before he passed away, and he said ‘Man, if you ever get the opportunity, you should do it.’”
“I really didn’t want to run against Tammy, because she did a good job and was from my district,” Ford added. “When she stepped away, I decided it was time for me to do it.”
Ford will appear as a candidate in this year’s Republican primary election, scheduled to occur on May 12. To learn more about Matt Ford’s campaign for Greenbrier County Commissioner, or to share your thoughts and concerns through completion of Ford’s survey, visit mfordwv.com.
