Hollis Lewis Takes Oath of Office

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hollis Lewis of Charleston became the newest member of the House of Delegates Nov. 3, reciting the oath of office in a stark House Chamber with an echo that bounced across its bare cement floor, marble walls and clear plastic wraps.

Lewis was appointed to serve the 57th Delegate District, which covers the southwestern portions of Kanawha County and includes parts of South Charleston and Dunbar. He will complete the unexpired term of former Delegate Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha.

Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Tera Salango administered the oath as the Rev. Marlon Collins held a bible. Lewis was joined in the House Chamber by his wife Dr. Elisha Lewis and four daughters.

“I plan to listen and to be a voice for our community,” Lewis said.

Lewis is believed to be the first Delegate to take the oath of office with a personal audience of friends and family in the gallery rather than in the Chamber due to ongoing renovations limiting its access. Article VI of the West Virginia Constitution requires the oaths for Delegates and Senators to “be administered in the hall of the house to which the member is elected.”

Lewis is a proud graduate of West Virginia State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice before attending Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has served as a Kanawha County Magistrate as well as an adjunct professor at WVSU. He has previously been a volunteer football coach and served on several boards, including the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, West Virginia Parole Board, Charleston Area Alliance and the Clay Center.

Lewis will receive committee assignments at a later date, and they will be added to his contact information listed on the West Virginia Legislature’s website.

Contact: Ann Ali at (304) 340-3323