03/12/2026
A reminder in case anyone has forgotten, Montani Semper Liberi. Mountaineers are ALWAYS free. Not sometime, always, and if some of us aren't free, then none of us are. That means if a West Virginian doesn't have affordable access to basic necessities, like water, food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, a good-paying job, etc., they aren't free. And if one of us isn't free, none of us truly are.
I know, it seems silly for a county level politician to be griping abiut things that don't affect us, but they really do. We may not have the water troubles of the Southern Coalfields, but I promise Jackson County has folks who can't afford public water, assuming they even have access to public water.
We have residents who are unhoused, and I'm betting most folks wouldn't even realize that many of them are without a permanent roof over their heads. Homelessness doesn't look the same for everyone.
I'm grateful to have a roof over my head, the ability to afford food and water and utilities, reliable transportation, a decent job with benefits, and more. But I recognize the privilege that I have that allows this.
Privilege shouldn't be required for the basics of survival.
Montani Semper Liberi, friends. And I won't rest until that is true Jackson County-wide.
