CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Longtime Kanawha County Commissioner Hoppy Shores says his current term will be his last.
Shores announced the decision to not run for an eighth term over the weekend.
“I want to finish my term up and close it the way it should be closed. I have the experience of knowing what to do, when to do it, and how to do it,” Shores said.
Shores, a Republican, has served on the commission for 42 years. The stints include from 1966 to 1972, 1978 to 1984 and 1991 through this year. Shores also served in the House of Delegates from 1986 through 1990. He has been particularly active during those years of improving parks and recreation in the county, but believes he still has loose ends to tie up.
“I think the best thing I can do is finish the things I have still hanging out, and parks and recreation is the best thing I can do,” he said.
The storm damage at Big Bend Golf Course continues to be one of those areas Shores is overseeing. He also indicated a desire to wrap up some pending projects at Yeager Airport and promoting the Shawnee Sports Complex. Shores listed several of his accomplishments as the expansion of water service throughout the county and helping to keep low-interest rates for first-time homebuyers in 1979, a time when those rates were skyrocketing.
Four candidates have filed to run for Shores seat: Republicans Lance Wheeler and Dewayne Duncan, along with Democrats Mark Hunt and Greg Childress.