It’s almost November, which means we are only about two months away from the official filing period for the 2024 election. We’ve been seeing campaigning already, of course, but none of those are truly set until the individuals have filed their final candidacy papers.

Much of the political world has changed in recent years, for one reason or another, but there are always opportunities to look back at the tried and true. As such, I thought I would use this week’s wordspace to offer a few bits of advice to those running in the event they are elected into office.

Remember who put you in office. Politicians, in most cases, receive support from political parties, but it is the people to whom you are answerable. They are the ones who vote for you. They are the ones who may vote against you if you don’t take care of them. The West Virginia Legislature is, by definition, at least, a part-time function of our state government. While not in Charleston, there is no reason our state senators and delegates can’t hold town halls or other gatherings in the communities they serve. Meet with your constituents. Hear directly from them. Write a guest column in your local newspaper. There have been many instances where someone is elected and feel they’ll be fine if they just send some money back home. You serve the people, not a party.

Answer your phone calls, letters and emails. I can’t tell you how many residents have told me about making an effort to contact an elected official with a concern, and they never hear back from anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a governor, legislator or a member of city council. If a resident is making an effort to contact you about something, it’s important to them which means it also needs to be important to you.

You’re going to be invited to a lot of events. Whenever possible, accept the invitation. Sometimes, you may be asked to say a few words, but a lot of the time, it’s going to be a dinner or some other social event. In a similar vein, make sure you stop by as many public, community functions as possible. You may be asked questions, you may only be able to stay for a short time, but it’s an opportunity to connect with the public…again, remember, you answer to them.

This one is more on behalf of myself and every other journalist out there. Hold press conferences in person. Doing briefings and such by video conferencing was fine when the state was taking precautions at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, but most of those restrictions were lifted two to three years ago.

The governor continues to hold weekly events, which are broadcast through YouTube and via various social media platforms. Most of the time, only a couple of West Virginia’s journalists signed on are called for questions, and even then they don’t always get an actual answer.

It would be one thing if he were far away. U.S. Sens. Manchin and Capito routinely conduct such briefings from their offices in Washington, D.C. Justice is supposed to be in Charleston. There is a press office in the Capitol. It would only take a few minutes for journalists in the city (most of whom work with outlets connected to newspapers and TV or radio stations across the state) to be in the Governor’s Office for an in-person event. So, why won’t he do them?

Most of our local officials have no problem standing in front of the press to answer questions. Use them as your model.

We have a good year before most of these offices on the ballot will be decided, but it’s never too early to educate yourself if you truly want to be a public servant.

(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter @CHowellWDT)