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Salango announces plan to run again for county commission in 2022

Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango announced today he will run in 2022 for re-election to his position, which he has held since February 2017.

Ben Salango

“We have accomplished much over the last four years to increase opportunities in the county while also helping residents and businesses weather the pandemic, but there is more work to do,” he stated in an announcement of his intention to run for re-election.

Salango was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2000, losing to incumbent Gov. Jim Justice. The next governor’s race will be in 2024. Justice is limited to two terms.

Salango said he’s not thinking right now about another possible run for governor.

“You know what, I haven’t made decisions on 2024. I really am just focused on doing everything I can for the people of Kanawha County. That’s where my focus is,” he said.

Salango was appointed to a vacant seat on the county commission in February 2017. He won election in 2018.

He is credited with developing the Shawnee Sports Complex, which is estimated to bring in more than $100 million in economic impact in its first four years of operation. Another initiative with his fellow commissioners was the establishment of 12 weeks of paid family leave for county employees, the first program of its kind in West Virginia.

“We still have more work to do in supporting the growth of small businesses and job opportunities,” Salango said. “Special attention is needed in the Upper Kanawha Valley, which has been hit hard by the coal industry decline. We need to strengthen programs like UKAN – the Upper Kanawha Business Assistance Program – and spread them to other unincorporated areas, such as Elkview, Sissonville and Cross Lanes.”

Salango is a graduate of West Virginia University and the WVU College of Law. He is an entrepreneur and founder of Salango Law, PLLC. He is 48 years old. He and his wife, Tera, who is a circuit court judge, have two sons.





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