CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey will provide a gubernatorial transition update Tuesday from the Attorney General’s Library in Charleston.
“We want to make West Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Morrisey said. “We want freedom to reign across West Virginia, drive up our standard of living, and advance educational attainment.”
Morrisey introduced the West Virginia Prosperity Group to residents last week as a conduit for information, talent, and ideas. The website is a portal for residents to submit feedback, ideas, and resumes in order to “advance our freedoms and help the people of our state prosper.”
“If you have an idea of how we can make West Virginia a better place or how state government can work more effectively to reach out to us and provide us with that information,” Morrisey said.
State senator-elect Joey Garcia, D, Marion, 13, hopes the governor can find the most talented people to address the problems facing the state.
“I’m hopeful that Governor-Elect Morrisey will find good people because there is such a need in state government to have intelligent public servants,” Garcia said.
Garcia is most concerned about operations in the newly reorganized state DHHR, now the West Virginia Department of Health, West Virginia Department of Health Facilities, and the West Virginia Department of Human Services. Garcia has expressed specific concerns about future plans for state-run health care facilities like the John C. Manchin Snr. Health Care Center that serves his constituents.
“We need to have better transparency,” Garcia said. “I think we need to look at policies when it comes to foster care, child care, and those types of things because they have been important over the last couple of years.”
Geno Chiarelli, R, Monongalia 78, said he’s prepared to work with Morrisey to move the state forward. Addressing drug issues, job creation, and improving the quality of life are all things he will expect Morrisey to be focused on.
“The eastern panhandle has different needs than north-central West Virginia, and north-central West Virginia has different needs than the coal fields,” Chiarelli said. “But, I think if we operate as a team together, I think we’ll all succeed.”