He’s known her his whole life, and he’s adored her unconditionally since his childhood days in Harrison County, but Bill Flanigan’s recent travels to all 55 of her counties reminded him that he and his beloved West Virginia are ultimately inseparable.
That’s the reason. That’s it right there. That’s why Flanigan has fought for “fair” as a state lawmaker – not once but twice – and why he is now a candidate for Division 2 of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Flanigan is an attorney practicing in Wheeling who currently represents the 4th House District in Ohio County, but when the filing deadline arrived back in late January, he decided it was time for him to finally chase his dream of serving on the Mountain State’s highest court.
So, he bought a truck and he stuck a magnet campaign sign on its driver’s side tour. And off he went to meet today’s West Virginia.
“My stops around the state reminded me of the same West Virginia I grew up with in Harrison County. That’s how I’ve been looking at it when I think about all of my travels and all of the people,” Flanigan explained. “I’ve met people who love our state, who have struggled with the economy, and who have been tragically flooded whether it’s been in McDowell County, or in Marion, or at home in Ohio County. You can see that they’ve been fighting back because that’s what we do here.
“We help each other, we fight for each other, and we stand by each other. It’s an incredible thing to see in all areas of West Virginia, and I love that we are who we are here,” he said. “People can say what they want about us, but none of it matters when the people in our state need each other.
“I’ve been reminded why I’m so proud to be from West Virginia, and it’s not just the beauty of the state. That’s part of it, but it’s really the people I grew up around; the people I trust and know and love.”
Beauty & The Beast
During its 162-year history, West Virginia’s population has never exceeded 2.1 million residents, and the state has been bleeding population for the last three decades while her residents have struggled with the decline in the coal industry and the rise of the opioid epidemic.
There is poverty, a concerning lack of broadband, thousands of abandoned buildings and former homes scattered in all 55 counties, and a plethora of “bridges to nowhere” because everyone has moved away. Politics has played a role, too, and there’s plenty of blame to spread on both sides of the aisle.
“But one thing I’ve noticed while traveling around the state is that 85-to-90 percent of the people could care less about half of the things that we’ve been running as a legislative body,” Flanigan reported. “They don’t care about all of the social issues because it’s not relevant to them. They want to see good jobs.
“They want to see a fair court system. They want to see an equal shake,” he said. “And they want West Virginia to be first. They don’t care about whatever is happening right now in our state with all of the division in the Republican Party or in politics in general. All of this outside influence coming in is upsetting to the people of West Virginia; that’s a real complaint I’ve heard from the people of our state.”
There have been “Meet and Greet’ events, lots of spaghetti and chicken dinners, and discussions, speeches, and sit-downs in every nook, corner, and cranny of his native state, and along the way he’s learned once again that the negative labels stuck on the state simply are not true.
“But I’m not sure how to change the reputation about our state other than to tell people who think bad things are wrong. I’ve heard that people from around the country think we’re a bunch of hillbillies, and that’s just not true because some of the most impressive human beings I know are from right here in West Virginia,” Flanigan said. “We are an impressive people, and I saw that every day I made stops in all of the 55 counties, and it made me proud.
“I’ve driven through towns and I’ve stopped and talked with people,” he said. “I’ve seen the genius of West Virginians, and I’ll forever be impressed. I wish I could show it to people, too, but they’d change their minds, that’s for sure.”
