The Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce held their annual legislative luncheon Friday at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg.  Senator Herb Snyder and Delegates Walter Duke, Craig Blair, Daryl Coles, John Overington attended.  Each had eight minutes to recap this year’s session before taking questions from the audience. 

All of the legislators agreed that the session was less productive than previous ones.  Representatives had different opinions on how to view the session.  The Eastern Panhandle’s Senior Delegate John Overington said it left opportunity to make changes, while Delegate Craig Blair painted a picture of incompetence; citing bills he felt were wasteful such as the infamous “Barbie Bill.”

 The legislators seemed to agree that most of the problems came from the leadership in the House of Delegates… as well as the budget problems facing the state.  Despite the session’s shortfalls there were some positive notes the legislator’s pointed out, including work done on the MARC Train problem, annexation laws and bipartisan efforts to help business.                                                                                                                                            

Categories: Local News
Tags: Berkeley County, Blair, Chamber of Commerce, Cowles, Duke, Eastern Panhandle, Legislature, Overington, Snyder