In September, Mountain State Spotlight traveled to Barbour County to find out what issues residents were facing.
Based on those conversations, we asked Del. Chris Phillips how he intends to address those concerns as he runs for reelection unopposed. Republican Chris Phillips was first elected to the House in 2018 and was a former company president.
Here are his responses to those questions edited for length and clarity:
While speaking to voters in Barbour County and Philippi, many were concerned with the economic hole the closure of Alderson Broaddus left in the community. It was a university that many cherished as it supplied jobs and a path of higher education closer to home. How do you plan to address that economic loss? What economic development proposals do you have?
Phillips: The loss of the University in Philippi was an absolute gut punch to the community and region. Not only was it a major economic driver for the city but a social center and source of civic pride.
I’m very happy to report that Battler’s Knob, LLC, the entity that purchased the campus out of bankruptcy, yesterday hosted Dr. James Moore, the President of West Virginia Wesleyan College, to announce a strategic partnership to bring higher education back to the campus, starting with programs in the allied health fields. The campus has also become home to new offices and hosted numerous social and entertainment events in the past few months.
Context: West Virginia Wesleyan College announced a new partnership with Battler’s Knob, LLC, to bring “allied health and other educational programming” to the former campus.
While I traveled through the county, voters said housing was a major concern as available housing units have dwindled. This issue is growing as a larger nationwide trend, where there is a lack of affordable and fair market housing. How do you propose addressing the lack of housing for residents?
Phillips: The housing issue is not only an issue for the region and state but is affecting folks across the entire country. There isn’t much we can do on a state level for out-of-control spending on the federal level that is driving inflationary pressure on mortgages, but what we can do is continue to work to make state government more efficient and responsive.
This not only helps existing businesses large and small to grow and compete for workers, driving up the wage base, but makes our state much more attractive to startups and out-of-state investment.
Residents in Philippi said they were concerned with the shortage of teachers and their salaries impacting the local public school system. How do you plan to address this issue?
Phillips: When we passed the first 5% pay raise for teachers, it was the largest in state history. We have done that three more times since. There is obviously an ongoing need to keep up with the previously mentioned inflation problem, and I am sure that we will look at salary increases for teachers and service personnel again.
Another large issue is the retention of young teachers, who all too often leave the profession, frustrated at the discipline environment and lack of support from parents and guardians. I believe addressing those issues is also critical to attracting and retaining our best and brightest in our schools.
I spoke with younger voters in Barbour County who said there were few opportunities for them and many younger people have left searching for better jobs and more recreational activities. How do you plan to address the phenomenon known as ‘‘brain drain’’ where younger people leave their hometowns in search of better opportunities like jobs and education?
Phillips: We have seen a promising turnaround in interstate migration, with more people moving into our wonderful state than leaving in the last few years. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been enough to offset our population drop from having one of the oldest net populations in the country, but it is an encouraging trend I hope we can continue to build on.
Keeping our young families here, and bringing in new ones, is going to require improving our job market, which we are clearly making progress on by making West Virginia more employer-friendly, and a continued focus on our pressing infrastructure needs. Those young families demand an improved public education system and better educational outcomes for their kids.
We have focused a lot of attention and funding on improving our public schools. I am excited to see the improvements that will come from the Third Grade Success Act, which will give our young students the foundation that is critical for success in the higher grades, and to continue embracing innovative ways to improve our schools.