As a business owner, common sense conservative, and lifelong West Virginia Republican, I have witnessed a remarkable transformation as Republicans achieved supermajority control of our state legislature over the past decade.

When my father, former Congressman David B. McKinley, served in a Democrat-dominated legislature in the 1980s and early 1990s, Republicans barely had a voice — with as few as one or two senators out of 34 and as few as eight or nine delegates out of 100. Today, Republicans hold supermajority control over both houses of the Legislature and all statewide offices.

With great power comes great responsibility. It is time for Republican leaders to focus their energies on uniting our state to improve the economy, creating jobs that will help retain our population and attract new residents — and for Independents and Democrats to join in this effort.

That is why I have formed the Mountaineer Freedom Alliance, a non-partisan political organization dedicated to supporting political leaders who advocate for policies that will grow our state’s economy and improve the lives of families across West Virginia by bringing us together to build a more prosperous future.

The Mountaineer Freedom Alliance aims to help elected officials support job creators of all backgrounds and beliefs. We cannot afford to live in a state — or a county or city — that only appeals to businesspeople and employees with certain ideological or political beliefs.

That means voters of all political parties need to elect business and civic leaders, accomplished healthcare professionals and educators and others who are building communities that appeal to people ready to work hard to improve our state without being distracted by partisan politics.

The last decade of conservative policies has improved West Virginia’s competitive position through the largest tax cut in state history, legal and regulatory reform, and efforts to increase energy production — all while holding true to our shared West Virginia values.

To take our state to the next level, however, our political leaders must focus on policies and programs that amplify the efforts of people creating jobs and improving our educational and healthcare outcomes.

This means prioritizing our workforce challenges, which consistently rank as the top concern identified by West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research in its annual Economic Outlook Conference, at which I often speak and my companies have sponsored.

From coal mines to high-tech centers to the hospitality industry, job creators cannot find enough qualified people. Drug addiction continues to plague too many West Virginia families, and our state’s infrastructure requires significant investment if we are to compete effectively with neighboring states.

I invite you to join the Mountaineer Freedom Alliance in this worthy cause. We need West Virginians from all regions and walks of life to create a state where real economic freedom is accessible to all our families. (Sign up online at www.mountaineeralliance.org or reach out to me directly at dhmckinley@gmail.comwith thoughts about how to advance our mission and help West Virginia and its citizens thrive).

Together, we can help West Virginia truly embody our state motto: Montani Semper Liberi — Mountaineers Are Always Free.

David H. McKinley of Wheeling is the founder of Mountaineer Freedom Alliance and an eighth generation West Virginian.