CHARLESTON, W.Va. –A former Municipal Court judge is going into her new role as state senator with open eyes.
Anne Charnock was appointed to serve the 17th district which serves Kanawha County, by Governor Patrick Morrisey Tuesday afternoon.
Charnock said that she is ready to take on the issues that plague the state.
“I feel like I understand what issues confront the state right now, and I want to jump in and do what I can to make that better,” Charnock said. “But do I have a list of issues that I’m going to attack? No.”
Charnock said she is looking forward to serving the people of the 17th district to start off her new role.
She says that she has always been interested in politics and even majored in political science while at college.
Her interest came because there was a vacant seat. However, she says that she took a chance when she applied for the position.
“What got me interested in this senate position was, there was a vacancy, and I thought if I applied for it what’s the worst thing that can happen, I don’t know get selected, so here I am,” Charnock said.
She says that there were several emotions that she felt when Morrisey announced her appointment.
“Thrilled, overwhelmed, just very grateful,” Charnock said.
She said her 12 years of experience as a judge will help her with staying focused on the residents in West Virginia
“It’s all about people,” Charnock said. “I bring that experience from seeing people at their very worst and seeing people at their very best. I certainly understand the laws that apply to the municipal court, so all of those carry over.”
She replaces Eric Nelson who was elected to a four-year term but resigned after being named secretary of revenue.
Charnock will be sworn in Thursday and will serve two years before having to run for election in 2026, when the regular session starts Wednesday, February 12.