Raleigh Commission attorney wins W.Va. House seat

Beckley native and longtime Raleigh County Commission Attorney Carl "Bill" Roop won the election for West Virginia House District 44, which covers Beckley.

According to unofficial results, Roop, a Republican, bested Democrat Tony O. Martin by just under 1,000 votes.

Roop said his top priorities in his new role will be education, economic development and child care.

"I think the child care needs revamped. I think our education system, our teachers need to be able to teach and not babysit," Roop said Tuesday evening after learning of his victory. "... Economic development – I want to be able to send companies to Beckley and say, 'Hey, locate here. We've got the education, we've got the community.'"

He added that another aspect that will come into play in all these areas is housing availability.

"As I look at the things around town and around Beckley, there's so much that we can do that I think I want to hit the ground running," Roop said.

Martin, Roop's challenger, said that despite his loss, he hoped that he was able to bring critical issues to the forefront of Beckley residents' minds.

"We put in a good race," Martin said. "Hopefully, we brought to the forefront some of the issues that need to be looked at for Raleigh County. I'll take that to heart as what we did."

While this is Roop's first time winning an election for the District 44 seat, he has been in the position for a few months.

Roop was appointed to the post in July after Todd Kirby vacated the seat to accept an appointment as a circuit judge.

As a result, Roop said he felt prepared for his first term in office.

"I've already been contacted about several bills, things that we need to tweak a little bit in the law that may help us out," he said. "And so in the next few weeks, I'll be working with the bill drafters in Charleston, submitting some bills and some ideas."

Roop has been the county's attorney for the last 34 years, a role he intends to keep as delegate, and said his time with the county has prepared him to take on his new role.

As county attorney, Roop said he's seen economic development projects from start to finish, as well as numerous water and sewer projects.

He added that what's good for Beckley is good for Raleigh County and vice versa.

"If Beckley flourishes, the county flourishes," he said. "It's really my opinion, and it's always been, that Beckley and Raleigh County should be working together for the best interest of both of them."