Marshall County Commissioner, W.Va. Senator go to the White House

Representing the Northern Panhandle were Marshall County Commissioner Bob Miller and West Virginia Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke.

“I thought it was interesting,” Weld said. “Since I’ve been an elected official, I’ve never heard of Washington trying to open up a dialogue between the White House and local officials. Today, it seems they were trying to open up a discussion between the executive office and us in West Virginia.”

Both Weld and Miller said they walked away with extensive lists of phone numbers and contact information for those in the Trump administration.

“That’s something as an elected official I didn’t have before — contacts in D.C. for someone in every agency that I can reach out to,” Weld said.

Miller had hoped to be able to speak directly with someone in the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding a possible extension of Interstate 68 from Morgantown to Moundsville. He said he didn’t get the opportunity, but was able to pass the information to them.

“I got the white paper passed on to the right people, as well as a list of phone numbers to follow up on. There was so much to cover. … It was done in auditorium fashion. There were notes on who to contact afterwards.”

In addition to Conway, other speakers included Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, and representatives from the Energy and Agriculture departments and the Small Business Administration.

There was a discussion about the opioid crisis, and administration officials briefed the West Virginians on what they are doing to combat the problem. They are focusing on decreasing the demand for and supply of opioids in the state, according to Miller and Weld.

There was also talk about the possibility of an ethane storage hub coming to the state.

“That could be huge for West Virginia,” Weld said.

Miller said Conway spoke of her recent visit to West Virginia with first lady Melania Trump to tour Lily’s Place, a Huntington clinic that cares for babies born addicted to drugs.

“She praised what a facility that is, and how impressed she was,” he said.

Miller stayed at a hotel close to the White House while in Washington, while Weld was invited to stay overnight in the Eastern Panhandle at the home of Delegate Riley Moore, R-Jefferson — the nephew of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.