Elevating the public debate? Yes, please.

Apr. 11—Thumbs up to Michelle Rotellini, president and CEO of the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, for an ambitious effort to flip the status quo and elevate and spread conversations regarding public service, politics and economic development while blending in a little business networking under one big tent ahead of the May 14 primary election.

Named Future Forward, the two-day event at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center this past week allowed community members to hear from candidates running for everything from local magistrate all the way up to governor. Sharing the stage with the candidates were issues, including a discussion of economic development successes in the region, an explanation of the excess levy for Raleigh County schools, the value of higher education and the advantages of school-based health care facilities.

The venue and programming was arranged so that there was plenty of elbow room for citizens to get to know the candidates better or, if they preferred, to bend a politician's ear.

We know there was some disappointment with turnout. But let's stay focused on the intended initiative, here, and that is this: There are issues to be discussed out in the open, problems that need to be addressed and debated, and explanations that can be had to inform the public of what's what. We heard more than one candidate for local office talk about the need for transparency so that all citizens are better informed and, as such, can make informed decisions when they vote.

There is the beating heart of a vibrant democracy.

We applaud Rotellini's thinking and the contributions of her team — including Karen Ewing, Jordan Wooldridge, Heather Ouimette, Roy Shrewsbury, Nancy Kissinger and Pete Torrico — for daring to think beyond the mundane and obvious, knowing that a dialogue about policy and strategies that bear fruit is always a worthy talk. No one should ever apologize, be discouraged or dissuaded from trying to push all of that out into the public square. To the contrary, we see the promise of what Rotellini was attempting and we should celebrate such initiative — as we do, here.

Two thumbs up to Rotellini and her team.

----Thumbs down to Mike Stuart, a state senator and former federal prosecutor who, in his run for attorney general, has repeatedly used the details of a trooper's death on the campaign trail even after the officer's widow had asked him to stop.

Rachel Maynard contends she asked Stuart to stop talking about her husband altogether, particularly in advance of a trial set for Sept. 3. Maynard says she wound up being blocked from Stuart's campaign social media.

"My children's privacy, well being and the trial integrity are all my concerns," Maynard said.

Stuart, apparently, couldn't care less. He says his comments are part of consistent advocacy for the death penalty for people accused of killing first responders. But the only thing consistent is his use of another person's pain for his political gain. — By J. Damon Cain, editor of The Register-Herald

----Thumbs up to Wyoming County East High School for earning the prestigious Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement — one of 29 high schools in the state.

To qualify, the school must register to vote at least 85 percent of the eligible senior class.

Initiated in 1994, the award commemorates West Virginia's late U.S. Sen. Jennings Randolph's legacy as the Father of the 26th Amendment.

A defining moment in voting rights history, the 26th Amendment was passed in 1971 and lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner presented the award Wednesday.

Several state, county and schools officials were also on hand for the presentation — an indication of the importance of registering to vote.

Three Wyoming County East seniors — Piper Cook, Logan Perdue and Charleigh Price — were also recognized by Warner as honorary secretaries of state during ceremonies at the State Capitol in Charleston March 4.

The three were recommended by their principal, Jeffrey Simmons, to represent the school for their efforts to register members of the senior class.

Nominations for honorary secretaries of state are only accepted by those high schools that qualify for the Jennings Randolph Award.

Randolph (1902-1998) served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1933 until 1947, then in the U.S. Senate from 1958 to 1985.

He sponsored federal legislation to give 18-year-olds the right to vote 11 times before it finally became law. Randolph maintained that 18-year-old soldiers fighting in World War II should have the right to vote.

The 26th Amendment was finally ratified by three-fourths of the states in 1971 — 107 days after it was approved by the U.S. Congress. — By Mary Catherine Brooks

of The Wyoming County Report

for The Register-Herald