This is the sixth preview of the House District 51 race, which includes 12 candidates.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Falling just 37 votes shy of a winning candidacy two years ago, Morgantown’s well-known scientist Evan Hansen has returned to the ballot to try and again claim a top five finish this November.
Hansen, who runs the environmental consulting firm Downstream Strategies, is a Democrat. But more importantly, he says, is his status as a scientist.
“A lot of the issues in Charleston are not necessarily science issues, but as a scientist you are trained to look at things in certain ways,” he said. “I think part of being a scientist is trying to understand what the important questions are to ask. And a lot of times in Charleston, you are talking with lobbyists cause that’s who is there trying to influence you and trying to get you to vote one way or another.”
“And being able to ask probing questions and know when you’re getting sort of a straight answer or whether you are not, I think, is sort of an important thing as well.”
Hansen said he’s a big supporter of renewed investment in infrastructure, additional raises for teachers, and a commitment to the public good.
“I think that’s something that should be part of how people think about running for office — that it’s really a public service and you are in it for the community and not in it for yourself.”
Monongalia County’s prosperity, he said, is one reason that it so desperately needs a revamped formula for funding of roads. Simply put, Hansen said, more people are using these roads.
“My job is to make sure that we get the resources here that we deserve, because we’re doing well,” he said. “And we’re sending a lot of our taxpayer dollars down to Charleston, and we need to make sure that we get our fair share back here to take care of our issues.”
He’s also interested, like several other Democrats, in at least a small increase in the severance tax on natural gas extraction.
“I think there is a point if you raise the severance tax too high it will drive drilling elsewhere,” he said. “But I think the question then is what is the right rate? I’m confident that it’s possible to raise the severance tax some amount that would raise a substantial amount of money because there is so much gas being produced and so much more gas that isn’t even tapped yet under West Virginia.”
Hansen constantly touts his time spent on the picket lines with demonstrators from Monongalia County’s public schools during the work stoppage earlier this year.
“I am supportive of a five percent pay raise,” he said. “I think the five percent that they got last session is great, but I think that they need more.”
A renewed commitment to infrastructure, education, and quality of life will attract new business to West Virginia, Hansen said. But Hansen also said some of the laws currently on the books make investing in an economy of the future difficult.
“Across the county, there is 250,000 solar jobs,” he said. “That is a lot of jobs, and we have virtually none of those in West Virginia. And the reason is that we have laws on the books that make it exceedingly difficult to invest in solar electricity in West Virginia.”
Hansen also warned that tackling the opioid crisis won’t be easy — and suggested that West Virginia will be feeling those ramifications for years or possibly decades. Still, ever the scientist, he made his final pitch to voters based on what sets him apart.
“You don’t have anyone else in these 12 candidates who started up a business from scratch and actually created jobs,” he said. “You don’t have anyone else in these 12 candidates who is a scientist and brings that perspective. I think that there’s some unique things that I bring, and I hope to earn one of your five votes.”
Check out the full interview at the main page of WAJR.com. You can also read additional previews from other candidates who have been interviewed on Morgantown AM, including incumbents John Williams (D), Rodney Pyles (D) and Cindy Frich (R), plus challengers Danielle Walker (D) and Roger Shuttlesworth (R).