Last month, Mountain State Spotlight went to Putnam County to find out what issues people in that community are facing.
The 20th House of Delegates District includes Teays Valley and Scott Depot, two unincorporated communities that serve as suburbs for Charleston and Huntington. It also includes the county seat, Winfield.
Two political newcomers are facing off in the race – nurse Sarah Drennan is running as a Republican and business owner Steve Patrick is the Democrat. The seat opened this year after Del. Geoff Foster, a Republican, declined to seek reelection.
Below are the candidates’ responses, edited for length and clarity.
MSS: In speaking with residents around the county, traffic congestion got brought up a lot. If elected to the state legislature, what will you do to help alleviate some of the ongoing issues with traffic, particularly in the Hurricane/Teays Valley area?
Sarah Drennan: Well, I drive that regularly, honestly. I think it’s something that we have to work with the local (county) Commission, as well as the Division of Highways, because ultimately, we can’t expand roads if we don’t have the property to do so. It’s not something that can be fixed overnight, but it’s something that we’re going to have to look at with development and increased business as well as population growth.The last numbers I looked at, we are 2700 houses in the deficit. We need 2700 more housing units, with Nucor coming in and with different businesses and industries popping up in our area. I mean it’s well sought after. We’ve got great schools. We have a great community. I think it’s something that we’re going to have to look at as a whole, because ultimately, we can’t create space that isn’t there, or if somebody’s not willing to sell.
Context: Nucor, the largest steel producer in the nation, is building a steel plant in nearby Mason County on state Route 2. Construction is expected to employ 2,000 people. When the plant is finished, it’s expected to employ 800 people full-time.
Steve Patrick: Oh my gosh, this has been a problem that just keeps getting worse and worse every year. My business is located on Teays Valley Road, so I’m well aware of what the traffic is like out here. You kind of learn certain times of the day when it is best to travel this road.
What can we do about it? The only thing we can do is widen the roads, put another lane in. See what we do? I don’t know where we can get the funds from that. I know there are federal funds available for infrastructure.
I just don’t know if, if there’s enough room to widen this road
There might be some ways to put in some other roads to get us in and out of here. I know the addition of the new interchange is going in Culloden, that should relieve some of the traffic that’s here.
But what they call the loop, is just, I don’t know how we can get rid of that. We’ll have to get some people who know more about traffic than I do, to study this and come up with some solutions.
Context: Teays Valley Road, also known as West Virginia State Route 34, is lined with businesses and several schools. It connects the city of Hurricane with Teays Valley, an unincorporated community that has seen retail development. Traffic on the road, particularly when school lets out, can be bumper to bumper on most days.
MSS: When I was out there in August, there was a big uproar surrounding the proposed transmission line running through the Meeks Mountain Trails. If elected to the Legislature, how would you address the need for utilities to make improvements and updates to their systems with the input on recreational needs and land use from the wider community?
Drennan: Well, I’ve been at a couple of different meetings regarding AEP. Coming into the trails is one big issue.
But another big issue is the increase in rates. Seventeen percent is unheard of in a time of recession – not to mention how that would filter over into other utilities.
The Meeks trails, that was a proposal when they initially were looking at where they were going to put the update, they didn’t know they were looking at satellite images. So the trails were completely hidden because of the tree coverage.
But we need to make sure that we preserve it. That’s a huge draw for our economy, for our business and for our recreation.
I would love to see the data from how much healthier our community is since the input of Meeks Trails, because it’s a huge activity hub for different churches and groups and the youth, along with our senior population. We have to look at a balance.
Yes, it would be beneficial, because the lines haven’t been replaced, but why are you waiting till just now to do it, and also the general effects to the community as a whole? There’s got to be an easier way to do it that will help everyone. Communication is key. We have to be able to talk to everybody involved and compromise.
MSS: But do you feel like the current system is fine as is, or do you think certain things need to be codified to balance these two interests?
Drennan: There has to be a balance. I think the open houses were huge. They were very well received, and it got the community’s input out to AEP, because without having those open houses, they would have not known how much of an impact it would have had on our community.
Context: While Drennan said the United States is currently in a recession, economists say it’s a little more nuanced than that. The country hasn’t been in an official recession since the start of the COVID-19 in 2020. However, the rapid inflation of 2022 – followed by prices being slow to drop – has put the squeeze on many people out there. The proposed 17% rate hike has been paused until May 2025 by the WV Public Service Commission.
Patrick: The upgrades need to be done. AEP has to do that. Where they put those is a different story. I was there at the open house that they had, and they said there are other options that are available. They’ll be more expensive, and some of them will cause more interruption than putting it through the Meeks Trails.
They can find other ways to do this that wouldn’t harm those trails. There are certain transmission lines, the older ones that are behind there, and they said they could run them along, and those access roads could even cause more interference with the trails. Those transmission lines need to be updated and the sub stations need to be upgraded. We’re getting too many homes in there and we’re getting a lot more homes in the area. We need more electricity.
MSS: Do you feel like there needs to be any changes made at the Legislature or maybe on the Public Service Commission level that can balance these two interests?
Patrick: The PSC always scares me. It seems like every utility that goes there and asks for an increase or any changes, they always get granted. I don’t know if that’s quite the way to go. If there’s something that we can do in legislation to help alleviate those situations, I think we could do it. I’m not sure what that would be, we definitely can take a look at that.
Context: While rate hikes are a matter of routine at the PSC, a rate hike isn’t rubber stamped. This past spring, First Energy, owner of Potomac Edison and Mon Power, was only given about half of what it asked for from the commission.
MSS: Some residents in Putnam County say they don’t feel like they’re being heard or seen by their elected officials. For instance, one expressed concerns about policies and rhetoric surrounding transgender and gay people in the county. How do you propose to make LGBTQ+ members of your district believe you stand for their rights?
Drennan: Honestly, I haven’t had a whole interaction with that community. Honestly, off the top of my head, I don’t know what percentage of the population that would correlate to.
I think you have to look at the general people’s rights as a whole from the Constitution. We’re all given the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, in that order. Nobody’s rights should be stepped on in order to push someone else’s agendas ahead of your own or ahead of anybody else’s.
We’re all here. We all want the best for our community, we all want the best for our families.
Part of the reason I even ran for office is because I’ve been active in the school systems for the last 12 years. I’m an avid volunteer from the elementaries on through middle school and high school as well as in our church.
I try to be active, and so I do feel that I have more interaction with a variety of the general population in Putnam County. I’m not good at posting things because that’s not the reason I’m doing it. I’ve been active in the community because it’s my community, and I want to help.
Just because I’ve decided to try to make a difference on that level, I am guilty of not taking pictures and posting that stuff, because that’s not the reason I do. I’m there because I want to help make a difference. Other than that, if somebody has a concern, I will come and listen to anybody and see in what way I can help. But I haven’t been made aware, personally and through emails, about any issues that haven’t been resolved at this point.
Patrick: I have to stand by my word. I have supported the LGBTQ+ community all my life. Members of my family, some of my closest friends, are in that community. One thing that people don’t realize is that these are people. They need to be treated just like other people. You can’t ignore the fact of the way they are, and that’s who they love, how they love, that’s completely up to them, and that should be none of our concern.
Context: During the 2024 Legislative Session, lawmakers from Putnam County sponsored two high profile bills that advocates said were discriminatory to the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, the county commission passed an ordinance in 2023 to prohibit drag performances when minors are present.
MSS: Another resident expressed concern about partisan politics. If elected, how would work across the aisle?
Drennan: Communication is key. We have a super majority right now, but I think all parties have to be open to communication and compromise.
Obviously, there’s certain values and things I will not bend on. But at the same time, I’ve talked to multiple groups from different sides of the aisle and am open to listening to your perspective and why you have it, and see in what ways we can try to make it the best possible way for both sides. Because nothing gets done if you dig your heels in and are unwilling to give. It’s like in order to make a marriage work, everybody has to work, and nobody’s 100% right all the time, you have to be willing to meet in the middle.
MSS: And what are some of the values that you will not waver on?
Drennan: Anything involving our children. I’m here because I’m a mom. I’ve got two kids. I want to make sure that they are safe, they are protected from anyone who wants to harm them at any level.
Abortion is another one. I’m a NICU nurse by trade. I have protected and saved lives and helped with and maintained that for 20 years. And so abortion is a very key component of my values, of my morals and of my belief. Like I said, the Constitution, the very first amendment – there was reason that life was placed above all else, it’s life, then liberty, then the pursuit of happiness and the right to life begins at conception.
Context: The phrase “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” is found in the Declaration of Independence, not the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution is the governing document of the federal government, while the Declaration of Independence is a historical document that expresses the 13 original colonies intended to break away from British rule.
Patrick: That’s going to be a difficult issue, because currently there are 13 Democrats in the House, 87 Republicans. So working across the aisle is going to be tough to do.
My biggest thing is and it’s been proven, that when your government is more equally divided, more funds are spent on roads, more spent on schools, more funds are spent on social issues that need to be addressed. If it’s a supermajority by the Republicans, a supermajority by the Democrats, that’s not good.
We need to get a more balanced legislature so that all voices can be heard. Right now, the Democrats and many independents aren’t having their voices heard in the Legislature. They’re just being ignored because they are opposite the supermajorities’ beliefs. So my goal is to not get rid of any Republicans, or get rid of Republicans in the House, but to become a more balanced house, so that all voices can be heard and decisions can be made with opposing viewpoints being heard.
Context: The GOP supermajority in the House of Delegates is a bit bigger than the numbers cited here. Currently, there’s only 11 Democrats in the House. There’s a total of three Democrats in the senate.
MSS: Is there anything else you’d like to add that we didn’t touch on here today?
Drennan: Essentially, my goal is to help create an economy in West Virginia, so that our people, our population, will benefit. But most importantly, our future generations will choose to raise their families here, and will choose to live here.
And that people from other places will choose West Virginia as their home, and that they will continue to make it the great state that it is. I’m a mom. I don’t want my kids to have to leave to find good jobs, but in order to do so, I do believe we need to make the quality of our education better. We need to educate about the trades, because it’s a wonderful opportunity that we have, particularly here in Putnam County. [The Putnam Career and Technical Center] is a great organization and opportunity for our kids to learn and get a great skill and come out and make a great living. Industry is huge, education is huge, healthcare is huge. These are all aspects that I think we need to delve into and see what we can do to make them better, so that we can, in fact, draw in other businesses and industries, so that we can help build up our economy.
Patrick: I have a few major issues that I would like to see addressed.
Number one is women’s reproductive rights in our state. I would like to see a referendum on the state constitution allowing abortion rights and reproductive freedom.
I would also like to see us go back to prevailing wages. We’re finding that a lot of places are getting by on cheaper labor, and that doesn’t really do much for the working families. Think we need to protect working families.
People are really concerned about social issues, about transgender athletes. Which bathroom do we use? And you know, those are really important, but they’re not as important as fixing our foster care system and fixing our prison system.
I’d like to just mention this. It bothers me that the governor announces that we are $800 million surplus in our budget when so many of our projects are being underfunded. Imagine putting $200 million into our foster care system and $300 million into our prison system, we would still have a $300 million surplus. I don’t know how you can brag about having a big surplus when there are so many projects that are underfunded.