W. Va. — Incumbent Democrat Tom Bloom will square off with Republican Andrew Price in November for the Western District seat on the Monongalia County Commission.
Bloom defeated former county commissioner Betty Wiley in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election. Bloom received 4,603 votes (60.05 percent) to Wiley’s 3.062 votes (39.95 percent).
Price received 3,851 votes in an unopposed bid for the Republican nomination.
Bloom, currently the commission president, said he’s always humbled to get the nod from the county’s voters. He also said he’s proud of the work he’s done with his colleagues on the commission — Ed Hawkins and Sean Sikora — both Republicans.
“I think the key is that the county commission is not Republican or Democrat. It’s what can we do for the citizens,” Bloom said. “I think my transparency; I think the fact that people see me working hard, being out there and answering questions has a lot to do with the outcome tonight. I’m looking forward to November.”
Price pointed to the ongoing conversation surrounding the county’s ambulance service and a recent rash of layoffs punctuated by hundreds of jobs lost at Mylan Pharmaceuticals as issues the commission must address decisively.
More than that, Price said the county needs to have a plan for the future.
“I look at the county commission as it stands, and it doesn’t really have a future plan. It’s just kind of spinning, responding to day-to-day issues and emergencies, but it’s not looking at the five, 10, 15, 20-year plan that any business would have to deal with in order to get a loan or anything else,” Price said, adding “I want to make this county the leader of this state.”
Wiley, who served as a commissioner from 1995-2000, said she was pleased with the campaign even though Tuesday didn’t end with the outcome she was hoping for.
“You really never know until the votes are counted whether you’re going to win or lose, of course, but I’m really encouraged by that turnout,” Wiley said of her 3,062 supporters. “It wasn’t a total embarrassment.”
Of the 66,736 registered voters in the county, 13,210 voted in the primary, including 8,118 Democrats and 4,877 Republicans.
All vote totals are unofficial until certified.
