Two leading candidates for governor gave their views on economic development to business leaders from around West Virginia.
Republican Patrick Morrisey and Democrat Steve Williams each spoke Wednesday to those gathered at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s annual business summit. The two were not debating, but they made back-to-back addresses to the gathering.
Morrisey is a three-term state attorney general who has a home in Harpers Ferry. Williams is the three-term mayor of Huntington. They’re matched up in the general election that culminates Nov. 5.
Morrisey, who spoke first, described wanting to assure West Virginia can be competitive with surrounding states. He emphasized reducing taxes, regulations, and workforce rules to improve West Virginia’s economic standing compared to its closest neighbors.
“Well, on day one of a Patrick Morrissey administration, we’re gonna begin that backyard brawl, and we’re to start the comparisons. What is West Virginia doing compared to all of its competitors, our neighbors. We’re going to lay out on a table, gonna work with the legislature and say, what are the taxes that we have here in West Virginia?” Morrisey said.
“Lay every tax out on the table, every regulation out on the table, every single one. We’re going to be more reducing regulations in West Virginia than you’ve ever seen before. What are all the workforce rules? What are all the licensing rules? And we lay that out for everyone in the public to see, and then we’re gonna have a comparison between West Virginia and all the states that we touch.”
Morrisey said an emphasis on that kind of direct competition would be rare.
“Our biggest competitors are all the states around us. And so if we can look at that tax policy and we know — well, why is Pennsylvania doing a little bit better in this area, why is Virginia doing a little bit better in that area?” Morrisey said.
“When you have that kind of rigorous comparison — and by the way, not just with the platitude, but with a ‘we’re going to get X percent higher standard of living; we’re going to measure the economic statistics of our people — that is a chance to help West Virginia shine in a way we haven’t seen before. And it allows us to become a regional powerhouse here in this part of the country.”
Williams also described a desire to compete. And he said that push for progress in a state dominated politically by Republicans doesn’t actually depend on political orientation — so much so that at one point he told the audience, “Hell, I’m starting to sound like Reagan.”
He said, “I believe free markets, limited government, fiscal responsibility, the rule of law and individual freedom are the building blocks for an entrepreneurial culture. An entrepreneurial culture brings prosperity and assures success in a competitive marketplace.
Williams told the crowd of business representatives that “I believe in building up, not tearing down, shining brighter by being brighter. I’ve built economic development programs. I’ve been an investment banker, I’ve been an investment brokerage executive, I’ve been a legislator, and now I’m a three-term mayor of my hometown.
“Each of these roles has prepared me to lead our state towards a bright future. We must be determined to outshine our competition. Our competition are not our neighboring states. Our competition is the global marketplace.”
He said Fortune 500 executives are looking for a fair tax rate, a trained and educated workforce and predictability. “They don’t want to be bogged down by social issues that political parties use to burnish their credentials, whether on the right or the left.
“We need a governor who can assure a stable, welcoming environment for businesses to thrive. As your next governor, I will deliver just that.”