FORUM: Morris takes questions from community

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

MAXWELTON, W.Va. — Sarah Morris, Democratic nominee for House District 47, was the only candidate to attend a community forum in Maxwelton on Tuesday evening. 

Her opponent, incumbent Del. Ray Canterbury, Republican, accepted an invitation to participate in the forum in September before pulling out late last week when a Republican-hosted “Meet and Greet” was announced for the same date. 

(RealWV will provide a recap of the Republican-hosted event tomorrow.)

Morris began by introducing herself to the crowd. “I was raised here, taught here, loved here, and like many my age, told I’d have to leave here if I want to do something with my life. Then, I came back to take care of my aging parents.”

She described long hours on the campaign trail, listening to voters at their homes when door-knocking. “I’ve been listening to teachers being asked to do more with less. I’ve been listening to parents who say our children are our greatest export. Charleston has stopped listening to people. I got involved in my local Democratic party. We need young people to step up.”

Morris also emphasized the parameters of the 47th District. “You need to know which district you’re in. You’re split down the line on Route 219. Everything west except Quinwood is in my district. The downtown Alderson area is in my district too.”

Moderator Scott Womack then asked Morris a series of questions on issues facing the 47th District, which primarily comprises the western part of Greenbrier County. 

Q: You said you’ve been doing a lot of door-knocking. What are people talking about? 

“I’ve knocked on over 1,000 doors,” she shared. “You have to meet them in their driveways and porches. The political noise on social media isn’t what people are facing. I’ve cried with people on their porches. They don’t know how they’re going to afford their bills. They’re worried about flooding and access to health care.”

Q: What should we do about young people who say it’s often a struggle to stay? 

“We need to figure out the public education system. We need to prepare them. We need to raise our wages. We need to make accommodations for when they do come back with families with infrastructure like schools and loan debt and clean water.” 

Q: How would you fix the state aid formula for public schools? 

“Listen to the experts. We can say all day we have goals to fix it, but we have to listen to the experts. Right now it’s only accounting for head count. There’s no accommodations for someone on an IEP (individualized education plan).”

Q: Would you favor a constitutional amendment or a bill that requires mandates to be funded? In other words, if the legislature requires a local body to do something, should it come with funding to do it? 

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she said.  

Q: HB2014 allowed data centers. Do you support it? 

“I do not. It needs to be completely reworked. It takes away local control. The second thing it does is includes a confidentiality provision. There’s no reason for that.”

Q: Have you received any campaign funds from the energy sector? 

“No, I have raised $16,000 through local donations,” she replied. “That is a shoestring budget. My opponent has (taken funds from the energy sector).”

Q: Related, are you OK with public officials who sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as part of their public work? 

“Absolutely not. I serve the people, not an NDA.” 

Q: Are you familiar with the proposed rare earth mineral extraction facility in western Greenbrier County? Do you support it? 

“I was hopeful reading about it,” she said, saying she’s not overly familiar with it. “I do have questions. How many jobs will there be? Will they have to deal with heavy-duty traffic? I haven’t heard any updates.”

Q: Is Gov. Morrisey right to resist bipartisan calls to pause the state gas tax?

“I think he’s wrong. Both parties are calling for it. The governor needs to start listening to the people. We have a budget surplus…we can still fix our roads, in the western end as well, not just in front of The Greenbrier.” 

Q: Who would you vote for as Speaker of the House? 

“Sean (Hornbuckle) has done a phenomenal job. Anitra Hamilton makes you feel something inside. Kayla Young has done a lot in her short time in the legislature. Any of those three.”

Q: If elected, you would have to work with members of the opposing party. How would you do that? 

Morris explained she would do it the same way she has in knocking on doors across the county, “Meet them where they are,” she said. “Good ideas can come from both sides. You have to work together.”

Q: What if you had to go against what your own party wanted?

“I would. I’m a middle child. I know what it’s like to be in an impossible situation!” 

Q: On education, do you support means-testing for the Hope Scholarship? 

Morrisy said she supported the same accountability for all types of education. “I was homeschooled. I fell way through the cracks. It was hard for me to keep up (when I returned to school). Public schools take an assessment. Private school don’t. There should be the same accountability for all.”

Q: If you have $500 million to spend on health care in West Virginia, how would you spend it? 

Morris said she would keep labor & delivery units open, develop partnerships with the WV School for Osteopathic Medicine, increase rural access to doctors, and arrange transportation services to hospitals from rural areas.

Q: If you could take President Trump on a tour of your district, where would you take him? 

“I would take him to the western end (of Greenbrier County). There’s a big disparity. The western end gets overlooked and they feel forgotten. I want him to see that.”

Q: Have you been asked if you’re a socialist because you’re a Democrat? How would you respond to that? 

“No,” she said. “It’s just meant to divide us. It’s irrelevant. “

Q: With the traffic, its like State Fair week all year round now. It’s terrible. What should we do? 

“I want to see a bypass and commitment for better roads on western end. There’s no reason you should be stepping in a mud puddle up to your knee in downtown Rainelle.”

Womack asked Morris if she had any closing thoughts, as he did of all candidates, and she shared, “Please get out and vote. You guys are informed. Many races are decided by small vote margins. How would being one more Democrat benefit me? We have 91 Republicans and 9 Democrats. The Republicans feel like they can vote party lines and not meet the needs of the people they’re serving. We can have one more vote on the floor and one more voice amending bills making them better for people back home. It’s important to bring some balance back to the legislature.”

Voters will choose either Canterbury or Morris to serve as Delegate. The General Election is November 3. Early voting is underway now.