WHEELING – Republican Dolph Santorine says he is already helping individuals who ask him to solve their problems with state government, and he is ready to take on the job as an elected official.

Santorine is seeking the District 4 House of Delegates seat this year with an eye on succeeding incumbent Delegate Bill Flanigan, R-Ohio, who isn’t seeking re-election.

Santorine faces a GOP primary against Derek Ennis, with the winner taking on the lone Democrat in the race, Joe Jividen.

“One of the hallmarks of my life is, ‘Can I add value?'” Santorine said. “And when I look around and see what’s going on, I am certain I can add value. That is the fire in my belly that makes me want to run.”

He noted that, in recent months, he already has been approached by residents asking for their help navigating state government issues. They have had questions about obtaining their passport, and a business wanted information on how they could get their liquor license, he explained.

“Constituent services – I am actually pretty good at it,” Santorine continued. “I figured I’m doing half the job, I might as well do the other half, too.

“They (constituents) end up running into me because they see me around town. I think that’s the biggest difference with me. When I see a lot of people running right now, you never see them until it’s time to run for office.”

A native of New Jersey, Santorine attended college at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. He and his family have now lived in Wheeling for 36 years.

“So where I spent the first years of my life really doesn’t matter,” he said.

Santorine noted he has had three careers. The first was in manufacturing, and then he moved on to the internet business. Santorine created the highschoolsports.net and Schedulestar websites to assist high schools with their scheduling and statistics. Then he sold those businesses and move on to his third venture, Monocerous Properties and investing in real estate rental units.

“Now I’ve got more than 15 years into being a landlord,” he said. “There is a wealth of experience I can bring to the position.”

Santorine believes the biggest issues affecting West Virginia involve a lack of jobs and opportunities.

“One takes care of the other, and vice versa,” he explained. “We have a beautiful state, and incredible natural resources. It’s an incredible place to live and we have great schools.

“Why we keep losing population is what needs to be addressed.”

Santorine attributes the population loss to the state’s decision to invest greatly in heavy industry, and “heavy industry is not going forward,” he said.

“We’ve watched a fairly large number of large bets being placed on what the powers that be think would be large job creators … single, large entities.

“There was lots of money for a boat maker (Pure Watercraft in Beech Bottom). Lots of money was put forth for a battery maker (Form Energy in Weirton.) One will never pan out, and we’re all holding our breath on the other one.”

Santorine added he would “rather see 30 small companies come in rather than three large ones.”

“An old saying is there is no freedom without economic freedom,” he continued. “Creating jobs and legislation that creates jobs in this valley is going to be very important …

“All of my business experiences come down to the same thing. I add value by helping people have lives. In most cases, that means meaningful employment,” Santorine explained.