HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – In the long-ago game “Button, button, who’s got the button” it was the task of players to figure out which participant ended up in possession of the button.
While nobody seemed sure where Cabell County’s two proposed magisterial district maps originated, one theme was obvious at Thursday’s Cabell County Commission meeting. Democrat President Jim Morgan and Republican member Nancy Cartmill had their minds made up and nothing was about to change it.
Those two commissioners were there to pass a new three district plan, regardless of any concerns.
Never mind that the third Commissioner, Republican Kelli Sobonya said she had arrived with questions about the entire procedure. Or that citizen activists like Jan Hite King asked 12 questions about the map contractor that should have raised serious concerns.
Morgan had difficulty restraining Cartmill, who attended by telephone due to illness, from prematurely moving to approve the map that contains three districts.
As he began to read the item from the agenda, Cartmill interjected, “I make the motion.” After Morgan calmly explained that they were not at that point yet, he continued to speak when Cartmill interrupted with, “I so move.”
After trying unsuccessfully to slow Cartmill down twice, he finally accepted her enthusiastic motion and seconded it.
Clarification was, of course, needed as to what exactly he was seconding — Map 1 or Map 2. It was, in fact, the map containing three, not five, districts.
Sabonya’s jaw dropped. “So you are just going to pass it without questions or debate?” she asked.
“I have questions; I have a statement I want to make and you’re already making and seconding motions.”
Morgan told Sobonya the issue was on the floor, so she could comment or debate it now.
After a brief comment by Sobonya, which included who directed the design of the three-member district, Morgan asked, “are you making a statement or a speech?”
Questions from the audience were left unanswered, as Sobonya noted. The individual allegedly involved in drawing two proposed maps is Doug McKenzie of Summersville. The activists said search engine research of him and his company(ies) included hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liens and legal proceedings with other state counties.
After the audience members spoke, Morgan said he “assumed” the questions were directed either directly to McKenzie, who sat silently on the front row, or County Clerk Phyllis Smith, who hired him.
When neither the contractor or anyone from the clerk’s office spoke, Morgan said he assumed those with questions should pursue them elsewhere. “We don’t have the answers,” he said.
During the lengthy discussion, Morgan emphasized that state law prohibits a majority of commissioners from making a decision out of public view.
“I think somebody suggested we go to three districts (there are now five) and he (McKenzie) drew up a map of that and then Mrs. Sabonya recommended retaining five at our last meeting and he did that.”
It had been pointed out that if there are five magisterial districts and just three commissioners, two districts will always be “unrepresented” because the law allows no more than one from any single district.
While that argument appears to have some validity, the commissioners are actually voted on by everyone in the county and technically represent the entire county’s interests.
Sobonya said that the county had functioned with five districts for years, which seemed to work “just fine.”
It had also been noted, as soon as the first map was unveiled, that the three district proposal placed Cartmill in the same district with fellow Republican John Mandt.
Since Morgan’s term is up in 2022 and Cartmill’s continues to 2026, that meant Mandt is ineligible to challenge Morgan unless he moves.
Mandt, now a member of the state legislature, had announced weeks ago that he would run for the Commission in 2022 rather than re-election to the house.
In the current district configuration, Mandt is not in Cartmill’s district and, thus, would be eligible to run. He attended Thursday’s meeting.
In the hallway, he said he would “consider” moving to become eligible since “this whole thing is just aimed at keeping me from running against Jim.”
Lootpress has attempted, for more than a week, to ascertain how McKinzey was hired and by who. We intend to follow-up with all legal means available to us.
At the Thursday meeting, Sabonya said she had checked “and there’s no (commission) order hiring him.”
Asked by a reporter if he considered employees of county elected officials such as the Clerk to be “co-employees” of the commission, Morgan said, “No. We (the Commission) only certify that there are sufficient funds in the budget to cover their pay.”
At week’s end, it seemed probable that Clerk Smith hired the contractor, who also worked on redistricting in 2011. It was not clear why no action by the Commission related to his hiring has occurred.
Overhearing the reporter’s conversation with Morgan, an administrator said the contractor is being paid “less than $15,000, which doesn’t require bidding.”
Regardless of whether bidding was required, public funds being expended in any amount for any purpose is public record.
Lootpress will pursue this story, insisting on accountability and transparency from all involved. Watch here for updates.