Roger Hanshaw ( R) is seeking his first election into the 33rd District of the House of Representatives. Roger and his wife Kirsten are lifelong residents of Clay County and currently part owners of a small business here. Roger earned a law degree from the WVU College of Law and practices law in the Charleston office of the statewide law firm Bowles Rice, LLP.
Why are you running for House of Delegates? I am running for the House of Delegates to be a voice for the need to bring jobs and economic opportunity to the counties in our District. While many other parts of our state are benefitting from new developments in natural resource industries, new manufacturing opportunities, and state investments in infrastructure, the counties in our District are being left behind. I’m running for this seat to be a champion for the people, the communities, and the businesses all across our District. It’s time Charleston stops leaving our counties behind, and it’s time we elect a Delegate that will make sure the Legislature understands that.
What is the biggest problem you see in Clay County that can be addressed by a House of Delegates member?
Our biggest problem is lack of jobs and economic opportunities. So many of the other issues we face as a county and as a district are an outgrowth of the fact that our economy has been in a downward spiral for years. Our school systems suffer from lack of funding. Our county government offices can’t provide the amount of services people need, and people aren’t able to expand their businesses because we have an economy that is standing still, or in our case, moving backwards. The solutions to so many of our problems all point in one direction – It’s About Jobs.
What is your number one goal to accomplish while in office? My number one goal will be bringing economic opportunity to Clay County and the rest of our District. That means more than just talking about jobs. It means focusing on the things that will bring jobs to our community. It means making sure we have infrastructure that will allow our small businesses to grow, and allow our people to start new businesses of their own. It means making sure everyone that wants to be can be connected to high speed internet service to do business around the world and not just in our own backyards. It means making sure we have an education system that lets teachers teach what students need to learn and actually prepares students for life – not just for college. Our problems in Clay County and the rest of our District are not that much different from the rest of our State, but our solution has to be a simple one – focus on economic opportunity.
What is your greatest strength? Between my work experience, education, and time as a small business owner, I have been exposed to a great variety of industries, occupations, and issues that businesses and families face, and that experience will help me be a strong voice for our District. I was fortunate enough to graduate from Clay County High School. From there, I attended West Virginia University, the University of Notre Dame, and the WVU College of Law. I worked for a short time in state government, and now I am a lawyer. I am also a small business owner, and I understand how hard it is to keep a small business alive under the pressures our government puts on business owners. When our legislature votes on bills that impact our rural communities and our small businesses, I won’t be voting based just on what I think. I will also be voting based on what I have experienced. Government can’t be about abstract things. It has to be about real people and real issues. Between my work and educational experience, I understand, the issues we’re facing, and I’m excited about finding solutions to the problems.
What is your greatest weakness? Like most working people in West Virginia today, I am a busy person. I work full time as a lawyer, and I own part of a small local business. That keeps my wife and me busy. We are also involved in our church and some other community activities here in Clay County. It can be easy to let being busy become an excuse for not getting anything done, but I don’t believe in that. Busy people learn how to prioritize time and accomplish things without wasting time and effort. Even though my wife and I stay busy, I still have room to do a lot for our District. I’m excited about that, and I’m looking forward to working with the friends and colleagues I have across the County and around the District to make those things happen so we can bring more economic opportunity to our District.
Do you believe in voting strictly along party lines? I do not. I believe in voting for people and ideas. Party-line voting has been a plague on our state for over 80 years. Instead of looking at what a candidate does or says; we have looked at his or her party for entirely too long. Most of us in our District are a lot more alike than we are different. We all want a good job, a healthy family, and a nice place to simply live our lives. We need to spend more time focusing on how to make that happen and less time worrying about whether a candidate is Democrat or a Republican. That applies to votes I’ll make after I am elected, too. We elect our members of the Legislature to represent our District, not their party. I am running for the House of Delegates to bring jobs and economic opportunity to our District. It is easier to do that by working together with people than against them.
After you are elected, if the majority of your electorate felt strongly about an issue that was opposite your personal feelings would you vote for or against the issue? Why? I believe a Delegate has an obligation to be a voice for the District, not just for himself or herself. I also believe a Delegate has a duty to listen at least as much as he or she talks. When I am serving as our Delegate, I want to be a conduit for information – information carried to state government from the District, and information carried back to the District from state government. Too often it only works one way, and that isn’t good for anyone. I hope I will hear from people all around the District on issues in state government after I am elected, and if I hear from enough people on an issue one way or the other, it will be my job as our Delegate to vote in whatever way best represents our entire District. My job will be to represent the District, not myself. I am looking forward to doing that.
Delegate David Walker (D) was elected to the House of Delegates 33rd District in 2009 . David resides in Procious with his wife Darlene and is the proud father of Angie, Stephanie, Darlinda, and David Jr. David is the Pastor of Procious Community Church and a military veteran.
Why are you running for House of Delegates? I am seeking re-election as your representative for the 33rd district to continue working on West Virginia’s economy. Currently, West Virginia has cut the unemployment rate by at least 50% since 2009. Since becoming your elected representative, I have supported and voted for legislation that has eliminated food tax and reduced taxes on businesses. These legislative acts have contributed to West Virginia moving up to 3rd in the nation for a supportive business climate, being 15% BELOW the national average for business taxes, and having the nation’s 4th fastest growing economy. When re-elected, I will continue my objective in helping our economy grow and succeed.
What is the biggest problem you see in Clay County that can be addressed by a House of Delegates member? The 33rd District is a rural district that needs local businesses to develop and grow to create jobs and expand our local economies. As your representative in the House of Delegates, I have made it a priority to assist our counties in maintaining and improving their infrastructure. How can we expect development without improvements to our Internet, water, sewer, roads and bridges? I have already built relationships with agencies, which have already provided us with resources to sustain and improve our infrastructure. I will continue to collaborate with these agencies to build the infrastructure of the 33rd District.
What is your number one goal to accomplish while in office? My goal is to do all that I can to continue the growth of a strong West Virginia economy that will support business development and growth, while creating jobs for West Virginians.
What is your greatest strength? I have made it my passion to serve the people of the 33rd District with integrity, boldness and courage. You can count on me to stand and defend not only the 33rd District’s, but every Mountaineer’s freedoms.
What is your greatest weakness? The typical answer to this question usually involves a statement about how I want to make an improvement to a habit or inherent flaw. I would never claim that I do not have weaknesses, just like any other person. However, I have weaknesses in my feet, hands, knees and back from proudly serving my country and proudly working long and hard hours to provide for my family, just like most people reading this answer. I will continue that same hard work to do the very best I can for the 33rd District.
Do you believe in voting strictly along party lines? Easy answer, NO! We have to be working together for the people of West Virginia and not pushing party agendas.
After you are elected, if the majority of your electorate felt strongly about an issue that was opposite your personal feelings would you vote for or against the issue? Why? As an elected representative, it is important to listen to the voice of your district. I have always offered opportunities to anyone within the 33rd District to meet and discuss any issue. I have been welcoming to anyone who has stopped by my office or contacted me through phone, email, or mail and I will always have that “open door” policy.
