Listen to “Mason Tax Rollback Offers Important Context in Primary Election” on Spreaker.
It’s a pure success story — textbook, really.
Mason County officials this week voted to roll back levy rates by 19 percent. Why? Because new investment — companies like Nucor — has expanded the tax base enough to make it possible.
Veteran newsman Chris Lawrence filed a full report after speaking with Mason County Commissioner Rick Handley.
And the timing is… notable; perhaps perfect.
The rollback comes just ahead of the Republican primary. It sharpens a growing divide in philosophy between factions: the Morrisey wing, and what strategist Greg Thomas now calls the “West Virginia” faction, more readily known as the Takubo faction. Call each side what you want.
The clear difference? Approach.
One side – Morrisey – leans toward a more passive model of economic development — focusing on general conditions, infrastructure, and letting opportunity come.
The other? It favors hunting: chasing major employers as a deliberate strategy to grow jobs and revenue.
Nucor is a win — a big one — for West Virginia.
As John F. Kennedy once said, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” No one running for office is going to oppose a project like Nucor or speak unfavorably about it. That’s not the real question voters should ask anyway.
Here’s the better one — especially for Senate candidates: Do you support the “TEAM West Virginia” model?
House Bill 4001 — TEAM West Virginia — was designed to create a competitive, statewide nonprofit focused on site development, partnerships, and business recruitment. It was modeled after JobsOhio – an immensely successful program that also managed to lure some businesses out of West Virginia according to legislative floor speeches from the last session.
The concept? A nimble, non-stock, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to job creation, retention, training, and aggressive recruitment that lives outside of the political realm.
Supporters — including Marshall President Brad Smith, one of the state’s most respected business minds — see it as an engine to land more Nucor-like deals.
They’re right!
So as the primary approaches, voters are left with a clear contrast to consider for the state’s future:
An approach that has already delivered — lower taxes and new jobs; a plan that can expand that growth and produce more of the same.
Or, one that feels more “wait and see” than actively engaged.
Which makes more sense?