By Jessica Farrish, The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia House of Delegates member Tom Fast, a conservative Fayette County Republican in his fourth term representing the 32nd District, said he felt Gov. Jim Justice’s State of the State address Wednesday night was well delivered and well thought out.
But, Fast added, “I don’t agree with everything he said, but overall he did a good job.”
And that pretty much summed up the collective analysis of most legislators from the southern reachers of the state – that there were pieces to like, pieces to shove to the side of the plate and a desire to read more of the details behind the governor’s big ideas, especially regarding the elimination of the state’s personal income tax.
Fast concurred with Justice who spent the front end of his speech lauding over progress the state has made over the governor’s first term in office. With West Virginia facing a projected budget shortfall in 2017 as Justice took office, the economic picture has improved, Fast said, citing a budget surplus in 2019 and a current surplus in the 2020 fiscal year with five months to go
“I know we’ve done some things right, notwithstanding economic turmoil and Covid-19,” Fast said. “It is time to take some bold initiatives.” …