Parkersburg: Partisanship gets in the way of real solutions to homelessness, addiction

PARKERSBURG – Jessica Siefert runs the Parkersburg Art Center with pride. As she walks through the gallery with original paintings from West Virginia artists, she shows off the rooms that host pottery classes, collage making and even a child care center.

Siefert, 57, a Vienna resident and Parkersburg native, said that partisanship seems to be deterring candidates from finding real solutions.

“If you’re working for the good of your community, your city, your county, why do you need to be affiliated with a Republican party or a Democratic Party?” she said. “The idea is you work for the people, and I think if you took that away, it just removes a barrier for communication.”

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Siefert also said addiction and homelessness is more obvious now that the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact Parkersburg when many downtown office workers went remote and haven’t come back.

“I don’t think they’re going to come back,” she said. “So it’s been really hard for downtown businesses, but also, the people you see walking the streets aren’t those employees.”

In the past five to six years, Siefert there’s been an imbalance of people in the community. More of those who leave rehabilitation programs can be seen roaming the streets instead of professionals from neighboring offices.

At the art center, the doors are closed and elevator access to the basement is strictly restricted to those who have a key.

Still, arts have been growing in Parkersburg. Murals, sculptures and programs have brought back life to the city.

“I think that in recent years, the arts have really taken off, and we’re starting to be recognized as catalysts for economic development here in Parkersburg,” she said. “A lot of our arts organizations, we cooperate and work together, more and more. And we’ve been doing community beautification, through the arts with mural projects.”

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