October 25th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

Met with push back and criticism from local elected officials and the governor- some members of the District One legislative delegation are distancing themselves from a proposal to have Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties become part of West Virginia. A letter signed by the delegation was sent to West Virginia state leaders October 14^th- but Allegany County officials only found out about the plan via media reports prompting strong criticism from Commissioner Jake Shade calling it “ridiculous” and an “embarrassment” to every voter in the region.

State Senator George Edwards talked with WCBC News and made clear that this proposal is essentially dead- as he has no plans to submit any legislation proposing such a move. He said he signed off on the letter with the hope that it would generate discussions about the needs of the region- and he never considered it a serious proposal. That said, he acknowledged the entire matter was handled poorly and if he could do it again, he would do it differently…