By Stephen Smoot
As time ticks down on the Year of Our Lord 2025, energy and activity in Charleston slowly ramps up in expectation of the upcoming session of the West Virginia State Legislature.
Larry Pack, the elected West Virginia State Treasurer and as such, member of the Board of Public Works, last week released his slate of priorities that he and his office wish to see addressed. He also recently lunched with regional economic development and local elected officials at the Fisher Mountain golf and recreation facility in Pendleton County to discuss his vision.
In a release, Pack stated that he released the suggestions of priorities because “as the state’s chief financial officer, we have a duty to levy advice to the Governor on sound, financial policy.”
Most of Pack’s top policy priorities revolve around measures to support both the traditional public school system and alternative formats supported by the HOPE Scholarship. That scholarship provides support for students seeking education outside of the traditional county and other schools. Pack and a number of Republicans wish to expand the scholarship to universal eligibility.
Pack also supports significant changes in teacher pay, “asking the Governor and Legislature to fund a teacher pay raise to make West Virginia competitive with neighboring states.” That would take the form of a $50,000 floor for starting teachers and $2,000 per year raises for teachers already making $50,000.
He also wishes “to provide flexibility through local control, including “loosening of timelines and requirements of Reduction in Force and transfer of personnel and greater autonomy on how the state portion of the school aid formula can be spent.”
At Fisher Mountain, Pack met with Pendleton County Commission President Carl Hevener, Commissioner Roger Dahmer, Sherry Mongold, administrator of the Seneca Rocks Regional Economic Development Authority, which includes Grant County, and others.
There, he echoed his concerns about centralized control shared about schools, but about State government in general. Pack blasted “too many detailed regulations” and “all these crazy rules” that restrict and restrain outside investment and internal entrepreneurship, bemoaning any situation where one needs “40 different licenses for three products.”
Pack explained that the Certificate of Need restrictions in the West Virginia health care industry also apply in other fields. To Laura Brown, who leads marketing at Fisher Mountain and its restaurant Ancient Oak Kitchen, he cited the legal mandate to purchase alcoholic beverages through a distributor.
One example he cited of its absurdity lay in the fact that the Fairplain Yacht Club restaurant and bar in Jackson County could not purchase directly from Appalachian Distillery only 50 yards across the parking lot.
Also a top priority for Pack, he advocated mimicking President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” in eliminating income taxes on tips and overtime, providing relief to some of the workers who need it the most.
Another economic measure he suggests lies in strengthening laws protecting the rights of owners of unclaimed property and to “prevent increasing predatory practices by out of state companies that seek to take advantage of West Virginia citizens.” Pack also backed a two term limit for all elected officials of the Board of Public Works. Patrick Morrisey had served three terms as West Virginia Attorney General and Kent Leonhardt, Commissioner of Agriculture, has exceeded that number as well.
Hevener questioned Pack on emergency services funding, citing specifically the EMS Salary Enhancement Fund. Passed in 2024, it provided Pendleton County the means to grant increased stipends to personnel. This had a salutary effect on participation and increased response times considerably, but the State did not fund the measure for 2025. Hevener related that the county had taken over the responsibility for this year, but Dahmer reported “that is not sustainable.”
Governor Patrick Morrisey stated in September, when asked about the same issue, that he preferred to see a permanent solution passed. The current fund was set for five years only.
Related to the issue, Hevener asked about the wildly different reports on the financial condition of the State last January. Pack responded and said “the money is there. You need to be patient and respectful,” in pressing for it, “but don’t accept that we don’t have the money.” Pack went on to cite the better than expected revenue reports and said “we’re at a $100 million surplus already.”
Pack’s general message, however, was that the State government “is so big that it gets distracted in other fields” away from fundamental needs. His advice? “Focus on three or four things and stay right there.”