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MARTINSBURG A former national advance lead staffer for former first lady Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign has been appointed chairman of the Berkeley County Democratic Executive Committee and said he is ready to use his experience to give back to the Mountain State.

Born in Washington D.C., and raised in Berkeley County, Martinsburg High School graduate Kenny Roberts said after being born in and raised near the nations political epicenter, as well as having parents who were in the political space, his natural affinity for politics came as no surprise.

My mother worked for a number of governors for Puerto Rico, so I was always growing up around political figures, and because of this, I always had an interest, Roberts said. That only grew as I was in high school, when I began volunteering working on local campaigns and political races.

Roberts said as a teen, he was civically involved, was a member of his schools West Virginia Young Democrats Club and was even supported by the BCDEC in a high school program that took him to Charleston to perform in a mock government and leadership training course.

Once a high school graduate, Roberts said he obtained his bachelors degree in political science and communications from Washington & Jefferson College and his masters degree in energy management from Texas Christian University.

With two degrees to his name, Roberts said he wholeheartedly pursued the political field that had captivated him throughout his life and earned the opportunity to work with former President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton as a national advance lead staffer for the latters 2016 presidential campaign.

All in all, I found myself back in D.C. where I wanted to be, in the mix with business and politics. Even with more exposure I got traveling the country and world, I always had a strong affinity to West Virginia, Roberts said. I have had a bank card from a local bank since I was 16 my first job ever working at the Bank of Charles Town and it was a reminder that I pride myself on being a West Virginian and always wanted to get back here, so I thought there was no better way than to serve the area that has given me so much.

According to Roberts, the BCDEC is a body of local individuals who are elected to the committee, who then appoint the chairman, a role to which he said he was humbled and honored to have been selected.

Roberts said he believes the body is a true representation of individuals from across the area and gives the group unique perspective in that one man and one woman are chosen from each of Berkeley Countys six magisterial districts to serve.

Roberts said as a body, the BCDEC is responsible for representing the Democratic Party in Berkeley County and does so by focusing its efforts on ensuring locals are registered to vote, supporting local candidates and pursuing projects the group feels support the vision of growth for the area.

We believe it is important to have representation and perspective when we are meeting monthly to find ways to better the Democratic Party. By having one man and one woman, we are able to have gender-neutral perspective, Roberts said. I think we, as a party, have a lot of great opportunity in Berkeley County to rise to the occasion and showcase how special our communities are.

Having had a bit of time to settle into his new role, Roberts said he would like to spend his term focusing on expanding the groups message, as he said he believes for too long, small political groups have allowed the national party to define what is important when it comes to local issues. Roberts said he would like to address that by making sure the BCDEC focuses its efforts on issues that are important to Berkeley County residents.

In addition, Roberts said he would like to focus the groups efforts on the local candidate pipeline and finding candidates who are enthusiastic and eager to be agents of change for our community, as well as fundraising creatively to make these things happen.

All we can do is go up from here, so I am really happy to be in a position to work alongside some talented people to do just that, Roberts said.

According to Roberts, the BCDEC currently has two vacancies: a female representative in the Tuscarora District and a male representative in the Shenandoah District.

For more information on serving on or efforts made by the BCDEC, visit bcdec.info or its Facebook page at Berkeley County Democratic Party.

Original post:
Former Clinton campaign staffer named chair of the Berkeley County Democratic Executive Committee - Martinsburg Journal