By Mary Catherine Brooks, The Register~Herald, Wyoming County Report
WYOMING COUNTY, W.Va. — West Virginia Senator David “Bugs” Stover, R-Wyoming, will complete the 14 months left in his current term, but he will not seek re-election.
Stover said Tuesday he’d come to the difficult decision only two days prior after talking with his family.
The beloved 69-year-old senator has been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a progressive, inflammatory disease that causes extended periods of severe back pain and stiffness, pain and swelling in the hips, knees and ribs, and extreme tiredness. While symptoms vary from person to person, AS may also cause vertebrae in the spine to fuse, which leads to less flexibility in the spine.
He has additional health problems as well.
“I don’t want to serve if I can’t give it 100 percent,” Stover said.
“I also want to spend more time with my family and I want to watch my grandchildren grow up,” he emphasized. “There are other things I want to do as well.
“I’ve decided it’s time. It’s just time.”
