The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

July 29, 2011

Chamber proclamation supports intact 27th

By Taylor Kuykendall Register-Herald Reporter

BECKLEY — Splitting up Raleigh County during the redistricting process would be bad for the community, a local business association officially announced.

The Beckley-Raleigh Chamber of Commerce in Beckley approved a July 20 resolution finding that the 27th District, which includes all of Raleigh County and a portion of Summers County, has a “district legacy” of 31 years and that “it wants to stand alone as a multi-delegate district.”

Ellen Taylor, CEO and president of the BRCCC, said the chamber wants the 27th House of Delegates District to remain exactly as it is.

“Our thought is that we didn’t lose any population, so we should stay whole, which means as is,” Taylor said. “If we had lost population, we understand the amount of delegates we had would have changed, but it didn’t. ... I don’t think anyone knows exactly what is going to happen. Everybody, as they should be, is vying for their own counties.”

The chamber also drafted a July 21 letter to Delegate Ricky Moye, D-Raleigh, who was included on the Redistricting Task Force.

In it, they urged him to ensure that because Raleigh County did not lose population, it should not lose representation.

“As you are aware, Raleigh County’s population has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years and is likely to remain so or grow in the foreseeable future,” the letter states. “Unfortunately, the surrounding counties continue to experience population loss.”

The letter was also sent to the other four members of the 27th District and House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne.

— E-mail: tkuykendall@register-herald.com

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