LOOKOUT, WV (WOAY) – As we get closer and closer to the midterm primary elections, Newswatch has the latest interview in its series of interviews with candidates running in the Republican primary for the Fayette County commission.
Christopher Burford is the chief operating officer for New River Engineers and one of the candidates running for the Fayette County Commission.
He said he is running because he felt it was time to get involved and make a difference.
“I will be a voice for Fayette County. I will work my behind off for six years, and I will do the best I can and I will ask people before I make decisions. Before I make a decision, I will come to Meadow Bridge, Mount Hope, Montgomery, and Pax. Wherever it may be, I’ll spend my time talking to the people and giving them what they’re asking for,” Burford said.
Burford said he wants local leaders to spend more time in the communities. If elected, he said he would take what people tell him and bring it to the commission, and he wants to be the kind of leader that people are comfortable approaching with issues.
“I see a lot of the needs of the people. I spend a lot of time in county town meetings, PSD meetings, different types of board meetings, and I see their issues. No one’s listening to these people. I want to be a guy that can listen to the people for the county and bring it to the commission,” he said.
According to Burford, tourism is becoming more and more a major piece of Fayette County’s economy. He said there are things the commission can do to take advantage of it without eroding the way of life for locals.
“[Tourists] are spending all day in our county using our our services, using our infrastructure like our sewer, our water. Then they’re going out of our county and they’re spending their money on hotels or spend their money on food. Everything is out of our county. All we’re getting is the influx of people during the day, and we’re not getting any of the revenue from it,” Burford said.
“It’s a challenging task… let’s get some instructional route lighting, and let’s try to steer the development in areas that’s not eyesores for the people. I live on a little farm, I won’t see a campground. I don’t want to see a high rise. I like driving through the country looking at turkeys, looking at deer. I don’t want to see a bunch of development going on outside of like the corridor areas and where it’s already.”
As an engineer, Burford has had hands-on experience with water and wastewater systems. Amid the ongoing negotiations for the sale of several PSDs to West Virginia American Water, Burford said that working with the company can present both problems and solutions.
“One of the benefits of having a small PSD is that they can offer lesser, cheaper rates, especially places like Meadow Bridge. Their average household income is a lot less than, say, Oak Hill, so it’s harder for them to eat a $100 water bill that is somewhere else,” Burford said. “When you start talking West Virginia Water, it stops all the talks with grants, grant funding and getting free money coming in.”
