Four run for House of Delegates
By EMILY SCOTT (escott@reviewonline.com)Article Photos
Incumbent Randy Swartzmiller will face Tamara Pettit and Benton Manypenny. The two who receive the top number of votes will face Pat McGeehan in the general election. McGeehan will move on as the only Republican candidate.
Swartzmiller, a New Cumberland resident, has served in the House since 2000.
He has served as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and as Assistant Majority Whip, as well as being appointed to Governor Manchin’s business transition team.
Swartzmiller said he has been successful is getting money back for the municipalities in the district, for such things as sidewalks in Weirton and new tractors for Chester and New Cumberland.
Swartzmiller said he was also able to secure $7 million to have the Jennings Randolph Bridge painted this year and has been working for four years to get the former TS&T pottery site cleaned up, which no taxpayer money has gone into. “We’re moving forward on that building ... It’s a goal of mine to see that building to the ground and get some new development in there,” he said.
Swartzmiller said he also secured money for the new Oak Glen Middle School. “That was something very near and dear to my heart,” he said.
Swartzmiller said he has also worked to get additional bridges built in the district and high-speed made available for rural areas, as well as passing legislation to get the parks money, including for the pool at Tomlinson Run.
Swartzmiller added he is working to eliminate the food tax, which has already been reduced, as well as the business franchise tax and corporate net tax to draw businesses into the district and keep them there.
Swartzmiller said he also was the lead sponsor of a bill to put all excess table games revenue going to the state toward the state debt instead of budgetary items. Swartzmiller said he is working to make all pension plans solvent, including teachers’ pensions, which he said has gone from being 13 percent funded to 53 percent funded.
Swartzmiller said his priorities include paving more roads, health care, and focusing on alternative energies.
With the amount of coal in the state, “We have a lot of opportunities to help the state as well as the country,” Swartzmiller said, adding he supports coal-to-liquid fuels projects in the state.
Swartzmiller said he wants to continue to reduce the state debt and taxes, as well as continuing to raise the pay of educators.
“I’ve been very blessed to have the people of the community come to me,” so he knows what to stay focused on, Swartzmiller said.
Swartzmiller was employed for 20 years at Weirton Steel and has worked at Ergon since 2004.
Swartzmiller is a graduate of Oak Glen and graduated Magna Cum Laude from West Liberty State College’s Regents program. He is working toward a master of science degree in strategic leadership from Mountain State University.
Swartzmiller is a member of the Chester Kiwanis Club, the Friends of West Virginia Northern Community College, the West Liberty and Oak Glen Alumni Associations, the NRA, a board member for Weirton Medical Center Corporate, a member of the board of directors of West Virginia Kids Count, and an honorary major of the Wheeling Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol.
Swartzmiller and his wife of 16 years, Jeanmarie, have two children, Taylor and Molly.
Pettit, a Chester resident, previously served in the House from 1989 to 2000 and was the Chairman of the Business and Industry Committee and served on the Finance, Education, Health and Human Resources Committees.
During her previous terms, Pettit said her accomplishments included sponsoring and passing legislation to create the West Virginia Steel Advisory Committee to benefit the steel industry, as well as co-sponsoring the 1994 Racetrack Video Lottery Act, which she said “not only saved the jobs at Mountaineer, but enabled Mountaineer to create jobs and become a destination resort.”
Pettit says she was also deeply involved in education, children abuse, and domestic violence, as well as putting an emphasis on constituency service. “Whether it be a road or an issue with health care or child support, I was always very diligent to help them get that issue solved,” she said.
Pettit said she will make it a priority to attract new industry to the district, particularly in the property being sold by ArcelorMittal. “I think we’re a district in crisis as it relates to job diversification,” Pettit said. “It not only impacts jobs, it impacts the schools system.”
Pettit said she would also like to have a pilot project to work with parents at risk for child abuse and neglect and continue to make steps in improving senior health care. “I think dedicated funds need to be acquired to help with prescription costs,” Pettit said.
Pettit, a former reporter, wrote and produced UNION FOCUS, the official publication of the Independent Steelworkers Union, and was previously employed as the Community Relations Coordinator at the Weirton Campus of West Virginia Northern Community College. She is currently Public Relations Director of Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort.
Pettit serves on the board of directors of the Chester/Newell Area Chamber of Commerce, the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle, CHANGE, Inc., and the Salvation Army. She is also a member of the Board of Governors of WVNCC and is Vice President of the West Virginia Council on Problem Gambling. She is a graduate of Oak Glen and holds a degree in journalism from West Liberty State College.
Pettit has two children, Shannon Sayre and Doug Pettit, and six grandchildren.
Manypenny, a Weirton resident, said he has secured the support of many unions, including the West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, the United Steelworkers, the United Mine Workers, the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23, meaning they must see a lot of qualities in him they want in a representative.
“I don’t back down if there’s an issue I feel strongly about...I won’t let anyone scare me away,” Manypenny said.
Establishing a connection with the public is one of Manypenny’s top priorities. “The main thing is about getting government in the hands of the people and giving them a voice again ... You have to be able to work with people,” Manypenny said. “If you can’t have a communication with the people you represent, there’s no point.”
Manypenny said other priorities include lowering taxes on pensions and retirement plans, making health care more affordable, and diversifying the local economy. “We need a lot of better jobs and some different businesses...with competitive, living wages,” Manypenny said, adding the community cannot rely on only one industry to carry the economy.
Manypenny is currently employed at the law firm Manypenny and Carey and Weirton American Legion Post 10, as well as owning and operating his own business. He is a graduate of Weir High and is working toward a degree in business administration from West Virginia Northern Community College.
Manypenny is a member of Saint Paul’s Parish, Sons of Italy, the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center, and the Hancock County Citizens Corp.
McGeehan, a Chester resident, served as a captain in the Air Force, completing tours of the Middle East and Afghanistan, and currently owns Mountain State Packaging.
McGeehan said that leading men in combat has “instilled a deep sense of honor and personal integrity” in his character. “I can’t be swayed by special interests,” he added.
McGeehan said he would like to focus on the economy, including changing obsolete policies, such as an “outdated and uncompetitive tax system.”
McGeehan said he will take a tour of the mid-west and the eastern seaboard to bring expanding businesses to the district, as well as work with federal agencies to improve infrastructure that impedes new businesses.
“A delegate must consider the position full-time,” McGeehan said.
McGeehan said he will be briefing Senator Byrd and his staff about Brownfield on May 16 in Washington, DC.
McGeehan said he will also work to destroy corruption by holding officials “to a higher standard of integrity...I won’t tolerate this any longer...Special interests breed corruption.”
McGeehan said his life experiences have strengthened him to push for stronger ethics reform. McGeehan witnessed his father die in a B-52 bomber accident when he was 15. “It helped my leadership to grow ... Nothing too big really phases me much anymore,” he said.
McGeehan was appointed to the United States Air Force Academy after graduating from Oak Glen.
McGeehan is a member of the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, and the Chester VFW. He is the son of the late Colonel Mark McGeehan and Jodie McIntosh-Juszczak.
