She never thought she would be able to say she owns a mask collection.
That is before Covid-19 swept the world during a pandemic that is quickly approaching its one-year anniversary. It was mid-March 2020, when Gov. Jim Justice suddenly canceled the rest of the state High School Girls Basketball Tournament in Charleston, and nearly all other events scheduled in Ohio County followed the same route.
“I was really thankful at the time that we had just wrapped up last year’s regular session,” W.Va. DelegateErikka Storch (R-3rd) recalled. “Now that we know what we know about the virus, there could have been a pretty big outbreak in the Legislature if we all would have still been in Charleston because social distancing would not have been possible.”
Instead, the state lawmaker had returned to the Third House District she represents and to her position as president of the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce. Schools were closed, non-essential businesses were shuttered, and commerce fell flat. One by one, though, Storch purchased face coverings per the advice from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
Now that the delegate has returned to Charleston for her 11th regular session after voters returned her for a sixth term, Storch has decided to promote Ohio County business by wearing a different mask each day and posting pictures of herself wearing them. Ash & Tin, the Wheeling Nailers, Thrive, and Nini’s Treasures have been a few of the first businesses she has promoted since the State of the State Address Wednesday evening.
“It’s an idea I thought of a while ago, so I have been collecting them for a few months,” Storch explained. “I post on Facebook more often during the session than I normally do, so I thought it would be a fun way to promote the businesses that have had a really rough year because of the pandemic.
“We have a lot of business owners who have come up with a lot of different ways to help their businesses, so I thought I would help them,” she said. “No one knows when we’ll get through this pandemic, but what happens after it’s over is going to be very important for our local brick and mortar industry.”
60 Days, 60 Masks?
The regular session of the West Virginia Legislature officially began this past Wednesday and will continue through April 10, and Storch’s goal is to promote a new Ohio County business each day.
But does she already own the 60 face coverings?
“Not yet,” the lawmaker reported. “I have a lot of them, but I plan to seek more out when I return home on the weekends when we are not working here. I’m sure I haven’t seen all of the ones that businesses have made for their employees to wear, so if a business owner wants to contact me, they should feel free.
“If someone sees my posts about a business, maybe it will remind them that they need to go there,” she said. “I take what we do down here very seriously, but there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way.”
Storch also plans to post on Facebook about the issues being discussed in the House of Delegates as a way to communicate with her constituents and to collect their opinions. So far, the most pressing proposals pertain to the possible elimination of the state income tax and to increase the state sales tax.
“As a member of the House Finance Committee, I know there is going to be a lot of discussion about those two issues,” she explained. “One thing I have learned as a member of the Legislature is that everything that sounds great can’t really work, and some of things that have sounded crazy at first have been amended so they could work.
“But in this position, I represent the people who live in the Third District, so that’s why I ask for their thoughts on bills,” she added. “Not only does it let them know what is being talked about down here, but it also lets them tell me how they feel about it. That way, when it’s time to vote, I know how they feel about it.”
