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Grassroots group plans for elections

The Inter-Mountain photo by Beth Henry-Vance Former Delegate Denise Campbell speaks Sunday afternoon in Marlinton during a Pocahontas Indivisible group meeting and rally.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Beth Henry-Vance Former Delegate Denise Campbell speaks Sunday afternoon in Marlinton during a Pocahontas Indivisible group meeting and rally.

MARLINTON — Close to 50 concerned citizens gathered Sunday afternoon as part of a Pocahontas Indivisible rally and planning meeting for the 2018 election.

The grassroots group is open to individuals from any political background, and it met Sunday at the Opera House in Marlinton. Speakers at the rally included Denise Campbell, former state delegate for Pocahontas and Randolph counties; David Fleming, former Pocahontas County commissioner; and Jay Miller, a volunteer and tutor who has researched topics affecting Pocahontas County Schools.

“This is just getting us all thinking about the upcoming election, who we want to support and if we want to run ourselves,” said Dawn Baldwin-Barrett, one of the main organizers of Pocahontas Indivisible. “It’s a scary prospect to put yourself out there.”

Baldwin-Barrett said the group members want to learn how to create lasting grassroots efforts.

“If we’re going to build coalitions … we’re going to have to learn to talk across party lines,” she said.

Baldwin-Barrett said the group is one of more than 7,000 similar “Indivisible” groups that formed in response to the results of the 2016 election — groups that want to make sure Congressional representatives remain accountable to their constituents. She said the local group has evolved to not only address federal concerns, but state and local topics as well, and she hopes they can keep the “incredibly powerful energy going.”

Group members have taken action by contacting elected officials in a number of ways, including mailing large batches of postcards, calling and visiting their offices to share a range of concerns that affect Pocahontas County. Badlwin-Barrett said the topics range from concerns about drug use and lack of jobs to environmental topics, such as the proposed gas pipelines.

Laura Dean Bennett, another group organizer, said she is pleased with everything the group has accomplished so far. She joked that she has “made a nuisance” of herself by contacting elected officials’ offices, but the group is getting stronger and making its voice known.

During Sunday’s gathering, Campbell spoke about how challenging and rewarding it was for her to serve as a delegate. She said she is still recovering from her loss in the 2016 election, and her advice to anyone thinking about running for public office is to have a network of strong supporters in place.

“I do believe in the power of numbers,” Campbell said. “I believed if you’re working as a team, you can be successful.” She said elections in this day and age can get ugly and full of lies very quickly, with political ads paid for by national groups that try to buy election results.

“The big thing is we have got to educate people,” she said, because if voters only pay attention to political ads on TV or information on Facebook, they are not getting anything close to the truth.

“To be a critical thinker, you have to listen to both sides, and the truth is somewhere in the middle,” she said.

Campbell applauded the efforts of the folks gathered Sunday, and said there aren’t enough people getting involved and trying to make the state a better place for everyone.

“We have to have people in office that have ethics and are respectful,” she added.

Pocahontas Indivisible members are planning upcoming events, including training for community organizers set for April 23. More information is available at www.facebook.com/groups/pocahontasindivisible.

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