The WoodBooger Chronicles
Around here, folks have a saying about a certain kind of fella.
When work shows up… he disappears. That’s a ‘WoodBooger’!
You’ve heard it. Might’ve said it about a co-worker or a cousin. Easy to find when things are easy, but he’s gone when it’s time to roll up your sleeves. Eventually shows up after the work is done, smiling!
Lately, more folks are saying it about our Congressman, Morgan Griffith.
Because when it comes time to deliver something for Southwest Virginia, he’s about as hard to find as a WoodBooger in the Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
And that’s the difference.
There’s a difference between a Congressman who works… and one who disappears when the work shows up.
Back when Congressman Rick Boucher represented Southwest Virginia, the job was simple. You went to Washington, you rolled up your sleeves, and you brought something back home. Roads, water, jobs, clinics, investment. You didn’t explain why something couldn’t happen. You made sure it did.
And you could see it.
You could drive past it.
You could work in it.
That’s what folks mean when they talk about the good ol’ days. Not nostalgia. Just remembering when we had a Congressman that worked for Southwest Virginia.
Boucher didn’t just vote on bills. He brought things home that changed the ground we were standing on.
Here’s what that looked like:
Industrial parks across the district ready for employers
Water and sewer systems where folks once relied on wells
Shell buildings that helped recruit real jobs
Federal dollars turned into local paychecks
He also saw what was coming before most folks did.
Before “broadband” was a household word, Boucher was pushing to bring internet into rural mountains. And when those fiber lines came, they didn’t just bring faster service. They brought opportunity.
Fiber networks running through Southwest Virginia
Thousands of jobs tied to new employers
Private investment following that infrastructure
Schools and hospitals finally connected
Same story with water.
Homes that once hauled it now turn on a tap. That didn’t happen by accident. That was funding lined up and delivered.
And it wasn’t just infrastructure. It was real places, real jobs:
The PACE clinic in Big Stone Gap serving seniors
Veterans clinics across the region so folks didn’t have to travel hours
The United States Penitentiary Lee bringing steady federal jobs
He backed workforce training through the Higher Education Center in Abingdon, making sure our people could step into those jobs without leaving home.
And then there was the quieter work:
Keeping Appalachian Regional Commission funding flowing
Supporting rural healthcare and community development
Laying groundwork for highways and economic corridors
Helping grow coal heritage tourism
It all added up. Piece by piece. Year after year.
That was Boucher’s way.
He didn’t just talk about rural America. He turned policy into things you could touch:
Water lines
Fiber lines
Industrial sites
Clinics
Jobs
And people noticed.
Because when a Congressman is working, you don’t need a press release.
You can see it.
And now folks are starting to say it again.
Maybe it’s time we had a Congressman that works like that AGAIN.
That’s what Adam Murphy is talking about, that’s why he’s running for Congress!
Not disappearing.
Not making excuses.
Working for You and for YOUR family in Southwest VA!
