She’s got hats.
Wife hat and Mom hat and that daughter hat, too. And let’s not forget the state lawmaker hat.
Erikka Storch, the president of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce during the day, is all of the above, and now that she is running for a sixth term in the state House of Delegates, Storch is contemplating how to orchestrate her campaign.
“I am always working for my constituents,” she said. “When you don’t have name recognition, I feel like it is important to campaign. I try to always do the job I was elected to do.
“I have been diligently working for the people of Ohio County and this district, in particular,” Storch insisted. “I understand their issues, and I try to get them answers or connections to those in Charleston, whether it be an agency or an individual.”
The state delegate also is active on social media, especially Facebook, when delivering updates about new laws, updated pandemic information, and to interact with voters.
“I use social media a lot. It is an easy way to get your message out and to connect with people in the district,” Storch said. “I receive a lot of questions through social media.”
Unemployment Assistance
The phone would ring. It would be about frustration. The number one questions was, “What am I doing wrong?”
As the state system and staff struggled to maintain a satisfactory pace for those who lost employment because of the pandemic-ordered closures, Storch’s phone kept ringing.
“I really figured out what I could and sent those people to the person I found to be someone who could take care of those situations,” she explained. “To be fair, none of us and none of them have ever gone through this situation.
“Plus, there are a lot of different programs that were implemented pretty much overnight, and that was confusing to everyone involved,” she continued. “But I feel we got it figured out for a lot of people in District 3, and that helped people in other districts in the Northern Panhandle, too.”
Collecting Opinions
On a number of occasions during the 2020 regular session of the state Legislature, Del. Storch encouraged opinions from constituents concerning legislation pertaining to issues like greyhound racing, corporate tax cuts, and increases connected to the DMV.
“The reaction I get depends on the legislation,” she said. “Sometimes people have ideas to improve it. Sometimes they want to let me know they support it or don’t support it.
“I often get contacted by someone asking me to support a piece of legislation, or to let me know they are not part of the ‘vocal minority,’ but they don’t want to bring awareness to that position,” Storch continued. “I have been contacted by people outside of the state with an interest in West Virginia legislation. Sometimes it is well thought-out and articulated, and other times it is not.”
Election Day
Storch has staged town halls, and she has knocked on doors, too, during her previous re-election campaigns, but 2020 presents a brand-new set of challenges for adopting a similar strategy. This time, it’s gotta be different, and she knows it.
“I imagine some events and meet-the-candidate events may not be able to occur, which is unfortunate,” she said. “Typically, most of these are hosted by a special-interest group, so it is an opportunity to learn more about their issues and to put a face with the names of those who may have contacted you.
“But my constituents contact me often. Not daily, but definitely a lot,” Storch reported. “And it is rewarding to make connections for the people of Ohio County. The most common issues are with Workforce for Unemployment, connecting to DMV for title and other needs, and other state agencies. It is rewarding when I get the text saying, ‘someone has been contacted.’”
