Charles Sheedy is a Republican candidate in the new 7th Delegate District, and the retired state worker has created a list of issues for which he is fighting.
On the very top is a topic he is very familiar with, and that’s because he was employed by the W.Va. Division of Highways for 30 years, including a stretch as the administrator of Marshall County’s District 6. As a resident of Cameron, Sheedy is well aware of the condition of the county’s secondary roadways.
But the candidate is very aware that the funding mechanism for road maintenance in the Mountain State is in trouble because the 1931 legislation has not been updated to address electric cars and higher fuel mileage standards set forth by the federal government.
“We all have complaints about the roads in our own areas. I know I do, but the reason why the roadways in West Virginia are such a high priority for me is because our kids need to be safe when they come and go to school each day,” Sheedy said. “And right now, those roads aren’t safe and I know that because I travel them.
“Our roads also need to be safe for our senior citizens driving back and forth from their doctor’s appointments, and for our mothers go to and from the grocery stores, and for our first responders who are doing what we need them to be doing all day and every day,” he said. “Our roads are not safe and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before they are. How that work gets done will be up to the representatives the people send to Charleston. That’s how it works.”
Two Tours
Sheedy is most proud of his service to the United State Army, and his two deployments, too. In total, including his reserve service, Sheedy is a veteran of 37.5 years to his country. That is why the 62-year-old plans to fight for health care for the state’s former servicemen and women.
“The state of West Virginia has, per capita, the highest number of American veterans, and right now Congress is looking at cutting back on the services that are offered by the Veterans Administration, and that just can’t happen,” Sheedy insisted. “I know Rep. David McKinley was fighting against those cutbacks because of our veterans, but now Congressman Mooney will represent this area and I have no idea where he stands on that issue.
“There are a lot of veterans in this state, all over this state, and the only facilities that can count on are VA facilities, and most of them don’t have the transportation to get around the way they might need to if those cuts are made in West Virginia,” he said. “This is a topic a lot of people I speak with are worried about and that is why it is something I plan to contact Mr. Mooney about.”
In the state Republican primary, Sheedy collected 1,112 in the 7th Delegate District while two-term incumbent Del. Lisa Zukoff collected 982 on the Democrat side. Sheedy did not, however, see those vote total as something of a premonition of what is to come on November 8.
“That’s why I don’t see a quiet time as far as my campaign is concerned,” he insisted. “Now, me and my wife are going to Alaska for two weeks in June, so that will be time off from the campaign, but before and after that, I’ll be out there talking to as many people as possible because it’s important to me that I get my word out there to explain that I want to go to Charleston and work on Veterans, smaller government, lower taxes for the people of this state, and for better roads.
“With Memorial Day this weekend, I will be out and about because, number one, I am a veteran and I believe it is very important for all of us to honor the lives we’ve lost in defense of the rights of this country,” Sheedy added. “And number two, I feel it is important to meet as many family members of veterans who gave their lives to our country. Those folks need to know how appreciative we are whenever we are given the chance to tell them.”
