Hi. I’m Shelia Hardway Burch, a candidate for Calhoun County Commission. My husband Cleo and I raised our children in Calhoun County and now are blessed with seeing our grandchildren grow up loving the family farm in the community we call home. I am a graduate of Calhoun County High School, later Marshall University, with a degree in legal studies and focus on business. As a paralegaland family mediator for Howley Law Office in Grantsville for more than 35 years, I gained a broad understanding of issues facing families, businesses and communities. As a certified court mediator, I continue helping families. When the law office closed in 2020, I transitioned to Executive Director of LKADC, representing Calhoun and Wirt Counties in the economic development sector,supporting and assisting small business growth and sustainability throughout the region while helping to bring much needed resources into rural communitiescurrently limited or lacking in the area. Over the years, I have served on manylocal and regional boards, including Westbrook Health Services, Calhoun Committee on Aging, Mt. Zion UM Church, Mt. Zion PSD, MOVRC and others. The Commission is responsible for appointment of many of the local board members representing vital agencies and organizations serving Calhoun County,and commission support is critical to the mission and success of each agency.
We need to focus on what matters – improved infrastructure, continued expansion of high-speed broadband, housing, education, improved transportation networks, services that improve quality of life for all residents, recreation development, each community’s unique potential and our youth. This requires partnerships, many already established, within the county and beyond that will promote Calhoun County’s unique culture and history, support business interests and spur growth and increased opportunities. Focus on what matters because Calhoun’s future depends on it.
