Oct. 11, 2010
League Of Women Voters Forum
Candidates Target “Unclassified” Line Items, Unneeded Commissions, Waste for Spending Cuts
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Candidates for the House of Delegates discussed education, campaign financing, budget cuts, and government regulations, specifically related to coal, gas and energy use. Interestingly, first time candidate Douglas Franklin (R – 15th District) summed a needed attitude change: “Personal responsibility” should replace “looking to government for resources.” Franklin applied this principle to recycling: “We do not need bureaucrats telling us what to do with our trash.”
His statement resounds through nearly all issues faced by the legislature --- should there be a government regulations or case by case decisions by administrators and managers?
FAMILY LEARNING
Actually, the line of separation between government and family responsibility surfaced too when Del. Carol Miller that children should be taught “how to think,” leaving conduct and manners to families.
Del. Jim Morgan agreed that education “starts at home. Parents have a great influence on children learning.” Hinting toward too many one style fits all curriculums, Candidate Matthew Woelfel (D- 15th) emphasized that with “six out of ten dollars [in the state] going to education,” teachers need the freedom to implement new ideas, too.
Identifying possible areas for budget cutbacks proved more challenging for the candidates. A consensus emerged in the plight of law enforcement and jail housing costs --- Send drug addicts to rehabilitation centers, not prison. Del. Kelli Sobonya added that approximately 70% of WV crime relates to substance abuse addictions.
REHAB NOT PRISON
Miller, Woelfel, and T. Ann See agreed that a rehab facility such as The Healing Place costs less per day than incarceration and treatment would be more appropriate than jail.
Counties pay about $48.50 per day to house an inmate at a regional jail.
The Cabell County Commission has already implemented a weekly look see at the inmates sitting in the Western Regional Jail. For those jailed for alleged non-violent offenses, the Commission has initiated various types of pre-trial releases, stated current Commissioner Scott Bias.
Though not addressing specific cases, Bias emphasized that non-violent offenses would not include someone facing a charge involving a weapon.
A combination of home confinement and the day report center have allowed the commission to lower its jail costs by a little over $175,000, Bias said.
Many of the candidates found the “cuts” question difficult with 90% of the budget consumed by education and infrastructure. “We can prioritize [and] look for waste,” Craig said.
But Sobonya, who is on the judiciary committee, emphasized that “greater transparency” is needed for current governmental expenditures, including, what she called “millions” in “unclassified” line items of the state budget.
Morgan diplomatically suggested, “You tell me where you want to cut and I’ll look at it.” Yet, Franklin hit the bottom line: “We have too many pencil pushers. Cut the Charleston bureaucracy and use the money for bridges and sewage [upgrades].” Reynolds suggested look at various state commissions, “maybe we can find some that need elimination.”
COAL REGULATIONS
Most of the candidates agreed, as Ms. See stated, “We are over regulated, such as [on] mountain top removal.”
Balance appeared the answer instead of legislation.
Sobonya supported mindfulness of the environment and mindfulness of workers and Reynolds flatly described the aftermath as “put it back at least as good” as prior to the mining.
Miller described the quandary as one of having “little flat land” which will be increased if mining is done in a responsible manner.
CLEAN ELECTIONS
As for cleaner elections, greater transparency was advocated by Woelfel, Lucas, and Craig, who suggested finance reforms start with the state supreme court race.
Morgan said campaign spending on a national level “boggles the mind.” He also believes some type of public funds could be available “to allow [more] people the opportunity to run for office and express their opinions.”
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Candidates Target “Unclassified” Line Items, Unneeded Commissions, Waste for Spending Cuts
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Candidates for the House of Delegates discussed education, campaign financing, budget cuts, and government regulations, specifically related to coal, gas and energy use. Interestingly, first time candidate Douglas Franklin (R – 15th District) summed a needed attitude change: “Personal responsibility” should replace “looking to government for resources.” Franklin applied this principle to recycling: “We do not need bureaucrats telling us what to do with our trash.”
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FAMILY LEARNING
Actually, the line of separation between government and family responsibility surfaced too when Del. Carol Miller that children should be taught “how to think,” leaving conduct and manners to families.
Del. Jim Morgan agreed that education “starts at home. Parents have a great influence on children learning.” Hinting toward too many one style fits all curriculums, Candidate Matthew Woelfel (D- 15th) emphasized that with “six out of ten dollars [in the state] going to education,” teachers need the freedom to implement new ideas, too.
Identifying possible areas for budget cutbacks proved more challenging for the candidates. A consensus emerged in the plight of law enforcement and jail housing costs --- Send drug addicts to rehabilitation centers, not prison. Del. Kelli Sobonya added that approximately 70% of WV crime relates to substance abuse addictions.
REHAB NOT PRISON
Miller, Woelfel, and T. Ann See agreed that a rehab facility such as The Healing Place costs less per day than incarceration and treatment would be more appropriate than jail.
Counties pay about $48.50 per day to house an inmate at a regional jail.
The Cabell County Commission has already implemented a weekly look see at the inmates sitting in the Western Regional Jail. For those jailed for alleged non-violent offenses, the Commission has initiated various types of pre-trial releases, stated current Commissioner Scott Bias.
Though not addressing specific cases, Bias emphasized that non-violent offenses would not include someone facing a charge involving a weapon.
A combination of home confinement and the day report center have allowed the commission to lower its jail costs by a little over $175,000, Bias said.
Many of the candidates found the “cuts” question difficult with 90% of the budget consumed by education and infrastructure. “We can prioritize [and] look for waste,” Craig said.
But Sobonya, who is on the judiciary committee, emphasized that “greater transparency” is needed for current governmental expenditures, including, what she called “millions” in “unclassified” line items of the state budget.
Morgan diplomatically suggested, “You tell me where you want to cut and I’ll look at it.” Yet, Franklin hit the bottom line: “We have too many pencil pushers. Cut the Charleston bureaucracy and use the money for bridges and sewage [upgrades].” Reynolds suggested look at various state commissions, “maybe we can find some that need elimination.”
COAL REGULATIONS
Most of the candidates agreed, as Ms. See stated, “We are over regulated, such as [on] mountain top removal.”
Balance appeared the answer instead of legislation.
Sobonya supported mindfulness of the environment and mindfulness of workers and Reynolds flatly described the aftermath as “put it back at least as good” as prior to the mining.
Miller described the quandary as one of having “little flat land” which will be increased if mining is done in a responsible manner.
CLEAN ELECTIONS
As for cleaner elections, greater transparency was advocated by Woelfel, Lucas, and Craig, who suggested finance reforms start with the state supreme court race.
Morgan said campaign spending on a national level “boggles the mind.” He also believes some type of public funds could be available “to allow [more] people the opportunity to run for office and express their opinions.”
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