West Virginia Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito didn't know if the storm that roared through Buckhannon Monday night was a sign from the heavens that Congress needed to tackle some of America's most important issues.
But she said she did take it as a sign to cut short her talk with those attending the Region VII Planning and Development Council picnic at North Buckhannon Park.
As the storm brewed and the winds picked up in their intensity, Capito praised the work the organization was doing throughout central West Virginia. She said Region VII was a model organization for its partnerships with city and county governments as they worked to get things accomplished.
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The Inter-Mountain photo by John Wickline
West Virginia Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, right, laughs as she chats with Brianna McClain and others huddled under a picnic shelter to wait out the storm that interrupted Monday's gathering of the Region VII Planning and Development Council in Buckhannon.
"But we are not getting much done in Washington," she lamented. "We have a lot of challenges facing us."
She said extending tax cuts, cutting the deficits and maintaining funding for local economic development groups were just some of the issues facing Congress in this election year.
"We have to come together as Republicans and Democrats to tackle these issues," Capito said. "We have to spend more efficiently and smarter."
Capito also noted that she will be working to "get as much money as we can for Corridor H and the completion of that project." The highway connecting Interstate 79 to an inland port area near Front Royal, Va., has been a big push by local governments across the region as they hope to speed up the completion date by 15 years from 2035 to 2020.
