Written by Brenda Hirschi | 02 September 2010

I'm honored to be the Democratic candidate running for Mason County Commissioner. My team of volunteers and supporters deserve enormous credit for helping me to make it to the top two.

I'd like to tell you who I am and what I stand for.

Growing up in the coalfields of West Virginia, I experienced many of the challenges that we still face today in the timber-based economy of Mason County. The public health and social challenges, poverty and economic hardship, difficult working conditions, and the arguments surrounding environmental protection versus our citizen's ability to make a living, are all things that our next commissioner will have to deal with on a daily basis. I get that and I'm prepared for that.

For the last two years, I've consistently attended the county commissioners' briefings, workshops and business meetings. I understand the county's budget and the budgeting process. The Prosecutor, County Commissioners (both past and present) and the Auditor all say that the county budget is the most important job for our Board of County Commissioners. I know how to balance a budget and hold the line on critical services like public health and public safety. My career in budget management with the Army and Forest Service has prepared me well to help manage our county government during this fiscal crisis.

My Democratic roots go deep. I know which party supported affirmative action and understand how that made it possible for me to have a career not just a job. Coming from the south, I know which party supported civil rights, which made a difference in the lives of so many families. I know which party supported the coal miners in their quest for safer working conditions and compensation for black lung. Those are just a few of the reasons that I claim to be a Democrat.

I know what it's like to live in poverty and what a difference it makes, when as a community, we help out those who are less fortunate. I understand the need for a safety net because as a child my family found need of the safety net on occasion. I know what it's like when there are no jobs and our young people must leave their communities to find work. I understand the need for a vibrant economy and will work to bring sustainable jobs and promote small business and light industry that is the right fit for Mason County. I know what it's like to live in an environmentally damaged community. I understand the value of caring for our land so that we can continue to protect Mason County's precious and unique ecosystem for generations to come.

I'm asking for your vote and support in this upcoming general election. Please help me become the next Mason County Commissioner, District 3.

 

Brenda Hirschi

Candidate for Mason County Commissioner, District 3

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