Q&A: Taylor County House candidate Bryan Smith talks opioid epidemic, jobs and bright future for state

In September, Mountain State Spotlight traveled to Taylor County to ask residents what they wanted to hear candidates talking about as they ask for votes.

Based on those conversations, we asked Republican candidate Bryan Smith, an administrative assistant at J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, how he intends to address those concerns as he runs unopposed for his first term in the House of Delegates. The seat was previously held by longtime lawmaker Del. Amy Summers.

Here are his responses to those questions edited for length and clarity:

Several residents in Taylor County brought up the opioid epidemic and said they have had children who’ve been addicted to drugs. How will you help West Virginians and their families recover from the epidemic?

Smith: I worked with a food pantry for a long time, doing volunteer work and everything like that. One thing I noticed is that a lot of people who are handling opioid issues, they’re great people. They got caught up in a bad situation, and they need help.

We have a lot of services, but they’re spread all over the place, and we just need a comprehensive approach where a person can come to some kind of a shelter or halfway house and get all the services they need.

Everything from: overcoming the withdrawal symptoms, going through the rehab part of it, getting education, being able to get back to work, help them find job placement – and where they can’t check in and out all the time.

One thing I learned, when I worked in the emergency department at Ruby is that a lot of individuals that would come in the emergency department, they were strung out, they would ask to get put in Chestnut Ridge or some other place, and then they end up checking themselves out, thinking, “oh, I’m better now.”

A couple weeks later, they’re back in again, because they overdosed again. And we need to find a way to get them the help that they need to make sure they follow through with every step of the way.

We need a whole comprehensive approach. Be able to help them get back on their feet and follow through with them, and follow up with them to make sure they’re doing good.

Several people brought up the need for more jobs, particularly well-paying jobs with benefits. What do you plan to do in office to spur job growth?

We’re more of a bedroom community for Monongalia County, for Marion County, for Harrison County and for some of the bigger cities. And for the majority of the workforce, we work outside the county.

I was on the Economic Development Authority here, and a couple years ago, we did a feasibility study, and it shows for Taylor County that our future is based on tourism, recreation.

The one thing that Taylor County has that we can build on and bring jobs in, a good model of that is what they did down around Summersville, what they did down around New River Gorge, is to base our economic future around tourism and recreation.

We can build that. We have so much to offer with Tygart Lake. We can bring in hotels, businesses and those sorts of jobs. Also with our history, with Memorial Day , with Mother’s Day , we have a lot of opportunities to really build an economy around tourism and recreation.

And don’t get me wrong. The coal mine in Taylor County now, they do a great job, and they employ a lot of people. But sooner or later, they’re going to run out of coal. They’ll pull out, and several hundred people will lose their jobs again. But the one thing that we have, that we can really embrace, if we do it the right way, is building an economy around tourism and recreation,

Residents said they’re frustrated by empty talk from politicians who say they’ll do things if elected and don’t. What do you plan to do once elected, and what do you say to people who have that frustration?

I decided to run because I got tired of people saying they’re going to do things and not taking action or following through.

In America as a whole, and especially in West Virginia, a lot of politicians tell you what you want to hear just to try to buy your vote.

And I believe actions speak louder than words. Because I’ve spent the majority of my adult life doing volunteer work, from working in food pantries to working with some nonprofit organizations. I helped run a couple cancer fundraisers, doing a community garden, trying to give back.

If I say I’m going to do something, I’ve always followed through to the best of my ability. And if there’s some reason I can’t follow through with them, Ialways let them know what’s going on and why I can’t or tell them that, “Hey, I haven’t given up. We’re gonna try to find a way around these situations.”

Q&A: Taylor County House candidate Bryan Smith talks opioid epidemic, jobs and bright future for state appeared first on Mountain State Spotlight , West Virginia's civic newsroom.