Marshall County is first in the state of West Virginia when it comes to coal and oil production, and second in gas flow, and those particular industries impact thousands of residents on a daily basis.
Bill Helms, the sheriff of Marshall County, readily recognizes those facts and that’s why he decided to alter his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican a few months ago. Helms, who will seek a second term in 2024, served as the department’s chief deputy for eight years under former sheriff Kevin Cecil before winning the elected position in 2020 as an unopposed Democrat with 10,795 votes.
In the May 2020 primary, he collected 81 percent of the vote to defeat challenger Ed Coster.
“I’m still stunned that the people of the county voted for me like that, and I’m flattered every time someone comes up to me to thank me for doing what I do,” said Helms. “The people aren’t under any obligation to do that so, every time, it hits me down deep. I just feel this is what I was meant to do at this point in my career.
“Being the sheriff of Marshall is the perfect culmination of an almost 30-year career in law enforcement, I believe, and I think it’s extremely imperative to have that kind of experience before doing this job,” he said. “By now, I think the people of Marshall County have come to learn that if you ask me a question, I am going to give you the truth whether you’re going to like it or not. And yeah, sometimes the truth hurts.”
And the truth is the national Democrat Party lost him because of its opposition to the country’s – and the county’s – fossil fuel industries.
“What it comes down to involves a lot of jobs in Marshall County,” Helms explained. “Our county has a lot of coal miners and a lot of people who work on the pipelines and in the gas and oil industries, and there’s only one political party trying to protect those jobs right now. We still have to rely on fossil fuels in this country, and coal and gas are Marshall County’s bread and butter.
“I do my best every day to adhere to our state’s laws and I set for myself the highest professional standards I possibly can. With that being said, I think it’s extremely important to the workers and their families of Marshall County that I help support their efforts to earn a good living,” he said. “Listen, coal money also keeps my office running and it allows me to do the things I can do for the people. I feel that it’s my job as an elected official to support the constituents of the county.”
Dance With the One Who Brung Ya
More truth?
Something Helms is perplexed about is why the Mountain State’s Republican Party has attacked organized labor with the repeal of prevailing wage and the adoption of “Right to Work” when working with the trades allows West Virginians to stay in West Virginia, earn a good living, and contribute a tax base that’s been shrinking for decades.
And as far as the National Democrat Party?
“There’s a war on coal and gas taking place in Washington right now, so I’ve decided to support the people of our county in that fight,” Helms confirmed. “I’ve never been much of a political person, and there is nothing I do on the job that involves politics at all. When it comes to law enforcement, I don’t care about any of that,” Helms said. “All I care about is doing the absolute best job I can do while supporting our coal miners, our pipeliners, and the folks working in oil and gas. Without the fossil fuel industry, Marshall County would be in dire straits.
“This country is not ready to go green yet, and it’s a pretty lofty goal in the first place,” he said. “I get it, I really do, but I can’t live 40 or 50 years in the future. I have to think about now and the people that are here now, and that’s why I switched parties a while back. Now, I’m a big union guy and I’m never not going to be, but I think a lot of those members are switching parties, too, because of a lack of support.”
No matter his political party, and no matter if he wins or loses his bid for another four years in the sheriff’s position, Helms is home and that’s where he plans to stay.
“I hear people talk about wanting to retire and moving away to Florida, but that’s not my plan at all. I’m never moving from my home in Marshall County. I’m staying right here,” Helms insisted. “This is my home, and this is where I want to be for the rest of my life. When I say I’m honored to serve the people of this county as their sheriff, you can bet I mean every word.
“Who would want to move away from a place where the residents have given you the greatest support you could hope for,” he said. “This is a unique place for a lot of reasons, but one of my favorites is this community steps up when someone is in trouble. Every single time. That’s why every day I get to do this job is a blessing.”
