Editor’s Note: The following is part of a series of profiles on candidates running in contested statewide primaries in the upcoming May 14 election.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WV News) — Republican Chris Miller of Huntington, Cabell County, is running for the GOP nomination for governor of West Virginia.
Biography:
“Born and raised in Huntington, Chris is a husband, a father of three, a bison farmer and a boxer. Chris employs more than 700 people under 26 different enterprises. Like President Trump, Chris Miller is a businessman, not a politician. From his first paper route at 10 years old to building 26 business enterprises, Chris has lived his life in the private sector. He knows what it means to create a job. Knows what it means to deal with burdensome red tape. He knows how to attract talent and capital, and he’ll do it for West Virginia as governor.”
Do you support the full elimination of West Virginia’s personal income tax?
“Yes. Our state’s greatest export is not our coal, natural gas, or timber. Our greatest export is our educated kids. To fix our decline in population, we need to create an economy where our sons and daughters can thrive here in West Virginia and attracts capital and investment. Three of the four fastest growing states in the union have one thing in common: Zero state income tax. Day 1, we need to get rid of the income tax completely. Politicians talk out both sides of their mouths and never get the job done. We need a business guy who knows how to get results.”
If elected, what steps would you take to continue the state’s recent streak of high-profile economic development projects and investments like Nucor, BHE Renewables and Form Energy?
“Capital flows like water to the places it’s most welcome. To attract talent and capital, we need to eliminate the income tax and create incentive mechanisms for investment. What we see now is politicians wind up cutting sweetheart deals, exempting companies from taxes and regulations that West Virginians are stuck paying for. Politicians are bad negotiators. For years, I’ve watched our state never reach its full potential, and I’m sick and tired of it. You know who are good negotiators? Business people. We need to level rules of the playing field for all West Virginians, removing burdensome red tape, so entrepreneurs can thrive.”
What policies should be put in place to address the ongoing issues with the state’s foster care system?
“Step 1, address the root of the problem: the opioid epidemic. We need world-class rehabilitation with a foundation of faith that focuses on 13-30 months of rewiring the pathways of the brain in the addict and incorporate trades, giving people purpose and opportunity to minimize relapse. Step 2, create an economy that thrives. We can raise the revenue to provide for our dilapidated foster care system by growing our population through economic development. Step 3, address the symptoms of a greater disease: the deterioration of the family unit. There is no problem we cannot overcome by returning to a foundation of faith and family.”
Senior Staff Writer Charles Young can be reached at 304-626-1447 or cyoung@theet.com
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