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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – One of two Democrats registered to run for the Congressional District 2 seat is Barry Wendell of Morgantown.
Wendell, 72, moved to Morgantown in 2012 when his husband, Rabbi Joe Hample accepted an offer to lead the Morgantown’s Tree of Life Congregation. Since moving to Morgantown Wendell has served two terms on Morgantown city council.
Wendell said his decision to run was made close to the filing deadline.
“I thought there should be a Democrat candidate and for a long time I didn’t see anybody,” Wendell said. ” I thought well somebody has to do this and i have some political experience, so why not me?”
Wendell wants to expand Medicaid, forgive student load debt, control prescription drug costs and also wants to bring the Child Tax Credit back along with Build Back Better.
“Extend the Child Tax Credit that didn’t come with Build Back Better- that should be a priority,” Wendell said. ” Because that lifted a lot of children out of poverty.”
The federal Black Lung Disability Trust Fund pays some benefits to miners when the party held accountable no longer pays. That trust has been borrowing regularly from U.S. Treasury general fund and lawmakers could not agree on a method to continue funding the program.
“The coal miner’s Black Lung Fund where they want to raise the tax on coal by 55-cents a ton to pay for the Black Lung Fund, and that failed also,” Wendell said.
On international issues Wendell believes we have the economic might to keep China out of Taiwan and Russia out of the Ukraine. He said using America soldiers would be too risky.
“Sending our troops into places where they don’t know the terrain, they don’t know the language and they don’t know what they’re doing could end up being divisive and hurtful to our soldiers and not helpful to the world situation.”
Wendell will run against fellow Democrat Angela Dwyer in the May primary. Dwyer has listed her priorities as establishing an $18 per hour minimum wage, reducing poverty, helping women and improving community/police relations.
Also, Wendell is open to debates within and outside the party if he wins the primary.
“It would be great to be able to have a debate with her,” Wendell said. ” And which ever one of us wins the primary to debate the Republican that wins.”