Steve Williams in 2024 WV Governor's race
On Abortion:
Let voters decide on abortion ban or reproductive freedom
Williams has launched a petition calling for Gov. Jim Justice to include discussion of an abortion ballot measure during the special session. Williams said if lawmakers believe the will of the people is to uphold the abortion ban, then they should have
no trouble putting it to a vote. "This is not this is not a matter of being pro-life or pro-choice," Williams said. "This is a matter of freedom, and we're just simply suggesting let's put freedom on the ballot."
Source: WV Public Broadcasting on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 3, 2024
On Abortion:
Trust women can make the decision with their physicians
Really, I believe in individual freedom. I trust that women can make the decision with their physicians as to what is best. If I'm sitting there with my family, and I have daughters that are facing pregnancy, I will sit down and if they need my input,
I'll advise accordingly. If they would choose that, with everything faced, this is the best way to go. Then I'm going to love them.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Budget & Economy:
Invest in infrastructure; have to have water systems
Right now we have more infrastructure money available than has ever been at the local level in our nation's history. We have to have water systems. Throughout southern West Virginia, there are areas the coal companies provided the water systems and the
coal companies have long gone out of business and there was nobody to maintain the upkeep of the water systems. And now trucks are trucking in freshwater. That's a description of a third world country, not the most prosperous nation in the world.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Budget & Economy:
Ensure services are financed, but balance the budget
Williams believes in basing tax revenue estimates on what the state is actually bringing in and basing a balanced budget on those numbers and ensuring that government services are being financed. "If you are being fiscally responsible and very
conservative on your projections, very conservative on expenditures, but being very aggressive on the expectation of what we're going to be delivering, you find yourself creating a path where you're accomplishing things that nobody else ever imagined."
Source: Parkersburg News on 2024 West Virginia Gubernatorial race
Nov 4, 2023
On Civil Rights:
Anyone marginalizing individuals doesn't have a place here
Anybody who seeks to marginalize individuals, because they don't look like you or they have a lifestyle that is different from yours, or there are certain things that are present in their life that we don't understand and
can't be defined; anybody that seeks to marginalize those individuals, as far as I'm concerned, they don't have a place here. We don't put up with this.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Crime:
Tells criminals, "We're going to run you out of town"
[On news article, "23 arrested in Huntington citywide warrant sweep"]: "If somebody's coming in to Huntington seeking to do something other than a legitimate business, we're going to run you out of town," said Williams. "We don't want you here.
You don't belong here and you're not adding any value to our community." Williams said the community's help will lead to more arrests. He says they can do so through the police department's anonymous tip line.
Source: WSAZ News Channel 3 on 2024 West Virginia Gubernatorial race
Jun 16, 2016
On Education:
Make post-secondary education affordable for everyone
We also need to make sure college, post-high school, post-secondary education is affordable to everyone.
One thing that's being developed here at Marshall is they're putting a program in place that students that come in and qualify for it will be able to graduate without any debt.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Education:
Don't subsidize private education over public education
I think HOPE scholarships are nice and everything, but they're starting to take money away from public schools.
You don't do those things--subsidize private education on the backs of public education. Our teachers certainly have to be competitive in their salaries.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Energy & Oil:
Identify other uses of coal, not just burning it
Make sure that we have clean water, we have clean air. And we use solar, we use wind, we start within our research capacity at WVU and Marshall. And again, they have to be properly funded, as well as our other schools, so they are doing the research to
be able to identify other uses of coal, not just burning it. Just what are some other discoveries that we can have, where we'd be able to utilize, still be able to, to extract them from the earth, but we do it in a clean way.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Health Care:
If you're an American, you are entitled to health care
If you're a West Virginian, and if you're an American, you are entitled to health care. Period. Done. Now, what I've seen here in Huntington--it's interesting to have seen just how having health care providers, who have the ability to go in as
detectives and not just see somebody who's sick, and then finding a way to try to fix it, but having that patient you're doing testing to be able to identify what can we prevent. And I think prevention is the key.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Principles & Values:
Vote for me as the best person, not because I'm a Democrat
Q: You were described as a non-partisan, reach-across-the-aisle Democrat who believes in limited government and free market principles. If elected governor you will likely be inheriting a Republican supermajority in the legislature.
How will you be able to work with them to get things done? A: I was part of a group that was considered business, conservative Democrats. And if we need to work on some we'd work with the leadership.
But the reality was, we would go over to the Republicans, and they were a super minority. They had more than we have right now as Democrats. But we would go over and say, "This is what we're working on."
I am a proud Democrat. But I have never, ever asked anybody or indicated to anyone that they should vote for me because I am a Democrat. Vote for me, because you see that I'm the best person. Period.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Tax Reform:
Eliminated the business and occupation tax on manufacturing
One of the things that we did, that actually turned into our favor when I came in, we eliminated the business and occupation tax on manufacturing. I wanted to get rid of business and occupation tax, but you just don't start doing it blindly.
You put a plan in place. Work it. And as you're working it, the one thing that a leader has to do is to have a vision of where he's going to be. Articulate that vision, build consensus towards it.
Source: Mountain State Spotlight on 2024 West Virginia Governor race
May 17, 2024
On Government Reform:
Government accountability by public scrutiny
Q: What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?A: Public dollars must be sanitized by the light of public scrutiny.
The government's accountability depends on the accountability of the CEO...the Governor. Every dollar needs to be judiciously spent and every dollar needs to be structured to leverage additional resources to maximize innovation.
Source: Candidate Connection: 2024 West Virginia Gubernatorial race
Aug 8, 2024
On Principles & Values:
Make No Little Plans: expect more out of ourselves
Q: What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?A: Freedom is on the ballot. We will set standards that the rest of the nation will seek to emulate. We must expect more out of ourselves.
We can compete with anyone in the world. In order to compete and to be a top producing state we have to be aggressive in our aspirations and again expect to set standards that the rest of the nation will seek to follow.
We create unimaginable success by being collaborative and placing aside political parties and insist on results. My mantra is "Make No Little Plans".
We need to challenge ourselves to make a difference in each other's lives.
Source: Candidate Connection: 2024 West Virginia Gubernatorial race
Aug 8, 2024
Page last updated: Oct 31, 2024