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Two seek state Delegate seat

On Nov. 3 voters will choose from two candidates for a seat representing the 2nd District in the House of Delegates, which includes parts of Brooke and Ohio counties.

They are: Democratic incumbent Philip W. Diserio of 623 Wabash Drive, Follansbee; and Republican challenger Gordon K. Greer of 538 Rockdale Road, Follansbee.

Diserio is a 1978 graduate of Brooke High School and 1983 graduate of the Electrical Joint Apprenticeship program. He has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for more than 40 years, serving as its president for 14 years.

Diserio is former president of the Brooke Hancock Labor Council and former vice president of the Brooke County Economic Development Authority. He has served six years in the House of Delegates, serving as minority vice chair of the government organization committee and in committees on energy, industry and labor and technology and infrastructure.

Diserio said if re-elected, he will address the opioid addiction problem “by creating more facilities to rehabilitate those who have been affected and continue efforts to get the medical marijuana program up and running in West Virginia” to serve patients seeking an alternative to opioids.

He said he will push for all income from Social Security to be tax-exempt, noting currently only those at certain income levels are exempt; and “work diligently to get new businesses into our local properties such as the former Weirton Steel, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, Follansbee Steel and Brooke Glass sites. With the new cracker plant being built in Pennsylvania, these properties can be utilized for downstream businesses related to the petro-chemical industry.”

A 1976 graduate of Weir High School, Greer said he learned leadership, discipline and dedication while serving for 10 years in the Army, for which he was stationed in Germany and promoted to the rank of E-5.

He has worked for 13 years for Advanced Aircraft Maintenance, where he has designed and applied various paint schemes for medical helicopters around the country.

He said if elected, he’d push for the elimination of personal property tax on vehicles.

“Residents pay taxes on a vehicle when purchased but then are required to pay taxes on it every year after. Those tax dollars could be better off in residents’ hands and let them decide how to spend their own money on the local economy,” Greer said.

Greer said he’d “seriously help and listen to local business owners about what they need to stay open and prosper. We aren’t doing enough to help local struggling businesses at this time, so how can we expect others to want to come into our area and set up businesses if we aren’t taking care of what we already have here?”

But he added he will work with others to bring new job opportunities with good wages to keep people in the state.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)

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