We’ll always have favorites.
When one writes about politicians, as I do, it’s only natural that one develops friendships and — well, not so much friendships. I’ve mentioned before that objectivity is said to be a requirement of “straight journalism.” Somehow, even if I’ve watched State Senator John Doe wheel and deal away what’s good for his constituents, I’m supposed to be “fair” to him when I write a story about his War on Opioids.
And I’ll do my best. But as I’ve said before, journalists are people too. A doctor doesn’t have to personally adore all of his or her patients to treat them professionally and competently. He’s just as obligated to save the life of the patient he dislikes as the one he admires.
Not that political pundits are in the life-saving business by any means. Our decisions are not of that magnitude. But many political careers are salvaged with a semi-plausible explanation of a crazy comment or action.
All of this leads me to say it’s unfortunate when an opinionated political writer evaluates a race in which he likes more than one candidate or one where he knows two running against each other are both basically scallywags.
I’ll point out one race that presents the former dilemma this time out for me. It’s the Republican House race in District 59. The GOP primary pits incumbent Kanawha Countian Diana Graves against Andy Shamblin, Nitro school teacher, city councilman and community activist.
I believe they’re both good candidates. Graves is efficient and effective. Fellow legislators and constituents know where Graves stands. In some ways, she displays all the attributes of quiet leadership that I appreciate. But she isn’t always quiet. At appropriate times, everyone knows where Graves stands. She’s definitely leadership material.
Shamblin is the challenger. Therefore he has no legislative track record. But his personal leadership qualities are impressive. He’s no shrinking violet and he gives the clear impression he doesn’t think Graves is conservative enough for this largely right wing district. He could be right although Graves is a solid conservative.
In many “moderate” areas of the state, Graves would be viewed as a far right conservative.
Since I’m convinced the voters in 59 are firm right wingers, who do I personally favor when it comes to writing this “biased” column?
Normal circumstances dictate that I should favor Graves. She’s already in office; she identifies with her constituents’ positions on the major issues; she works hard; she studies the issues fairly. I admire her work ethic and her dedication to constituent services.
“Normal circumstances,” then, would make this a Graves-favored seat in a slam-dunk. It still might. But I do think Shamblin is impressive and deserves consideration. At this point, I might vote for both of them.
What? I can’t do that?
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The “big issue” between the two candidates may make Graves appear even more conservative than her opponent.
Graves is a charter school advocate; Shamblin is not. As a public school teacher, that could explain Shamblin’s position but he says it’s more complex than that. That’s part of his overall campaign package that voters will need to consider between now and the primary.
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Honestly (what? Honesty in a political column?), I do slightly favor Graves at this point.
Now that Republicans run state government, we are getting too many mix-up-church-and-state-and-see-what-you-get legislators for me.
Shamblin returned to the Nitro Church of Christ in June of 2016, having previously served as the minister of the Elkview Church of Christ for seven years. He grew up in the Nitro Church during his formative years. It was during his youth that he was baptised on May 19, 2002.
Shamblin is the church’s first bi-vocational minister. In addition to preaching, he is also a social studies teacher at Nitro High School and was elected to his second four-year term on Nitro City Council in 2016.
I’m kind of like the old fictional (maybe) character named Pa I was writing about in 1960 when Senators John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey were battling it out for the Democrat Presidential nomination.
Pa made it clear he was against Kennedy. “Why?” his niece Elizabeth wanted to know.
“Because he’s not just a Catholic” Pa responded. “He’s a ROMAN Catholic. The kind that ROAMS around and tries to convert other people to Catholics.”
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I’m not saying Shamblin would try to switch other political friends to his religious beliefs but the temptation bothers me.
Evangelism is, after all, the platform of many of these Protestant “Christian” churches.
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There are numerous other races around the state that present similar prejudices for me.
One thing you can count on: I won’t pretend to be super non-biased in public and blast a candidate for some alleged different reason in print. Here, you know what you’re getting and why.
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The resignation of Evan Jenkins from the Supreme Court creates yet another vacancy for Governor Jim Justice to fill.
A logical choice this time would be Charleston’s long time Municipal Judge Anne Charnock.
While I assume she’s still a registered Republican — like Jenkins although she’s not required to be; the court is “non-partisan” — she is not known for direct involvement in partisan political activities. She has quietly served as legal advisor to some party leaders but isn’t generally a Republican spokesperson.
The dozens of criminals and others who’ve appeared before her only know that they will receive fair treatment when they appear in Judge Charcock’s court.
A more diverse background would be hard to find. Charcock is recognized as a national expert on politics and the law, having advised candidates at all levels of government. She’s also a well-known administrative law judge.
It’s enough for me that she cut her legal teeth at the feet of the late legal genius John Charnock, Jr., her legendary downtown Charleston father/lawyer who served decades in the city judge position himself.
Impeccably honest and fair in her dealings, Charcock is just what the supreme court needs. No hint of impropriety — ever. And she’s presided over hundreds of cases.
Her potential appointment fits perfectly. Unlike others who might be considered, her city judge position expires this year. No need for discussions of special elections and unexpired terms. No more political maneuvers. Just appoint her, Governor.
The perfect fit then: Anne Charcock for Supreme Court Justice!
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Okay. Now that we’ve settled that, we can consider other political races where the voters are involved.
As I said some time ago, some will be landslides; others will be tight.
Just to reassure a few readers who thought my comments made it sound as if we were going to concentrate on legislative races, we plan to be everywhere with our political observations.
If you have a hot county clerk contest, we’ll cover it. While we can’t tell you why any sensible Cabell Countian is voting for Phyllis Smith, we can tell you when and where she campaigns. We can tell you if she EVER takes bids from contractors. We can report if she decides taxpayers have a right to have their money spent wisely and transparently.
There’s a “by the way” there, as usual. There’s nothing that prohibits the Clerk from taking bids on a project, no matter the “anticipated charges.” Just because the “rule” says bids must be taken if the amount is expected to exceed $15,000 doesn’t mean one can ONLY take bids then. Far from it.
What’s wrong with protecting the taxpayer — not the contractor — by taking bids, even when the cost is expected to be well below $15,000?
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The Secretary of State’s office sees nothing wrong with telling County Clerks what contractors advertise services or have done election work before that they (the clerks) are needing now.
That’s apparently how Doug McKenzie got his “recommendation” to the county’s clerks to do mapping of 2020 magisterial districts. Never mind that litigation stretches back to 2010 on projects he did; he DID them so he has “experience.”
So, good job or bad, his company was “recommended.” The “recommended” is the term Clerks use. The SOS says it’s just a list of past and current vendors they compiled to “help out.”
In twisting the old comment: “more such ‘help’ and we are undone.”
The SOS similarly provides a list of those “qualified” to print ballots. It’s a way to perpetuate the “sole vendor” concept but we’ll explore that later.
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Anyway, we’ll closely follow tight local races just as we do legislative contests. With 117 legislative positions up for grabs, there’s got to be something of interest for any political junkie.
Plus, the Congressional Primary between Republican incumbents Alex Mooney and David McKinley is bound to be intriguing.
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As far as Cabell Clerk Smith is concerned, some readers offered help to me by going to the courthouse and demanding the list of Cabell candidates for 2022.
As I wrote at the time, that wasn’t necessary. I had the list from various sources but would just have checked it against any list Smith or someone from her office gave me.
Smith will be unable to keep the list “secret” anyway. Unless she can do away with “sample ballots,” that is. Being uncooperative is just her way of letting us all know she’s in charge and she’s not happy that taxpayers actually expect to know what their government is doing. They elected HER to make those decisions for them.
I have said the desire to be less than open extends awhile back in Cabell. It’s not just the current group of public officials who fights open government (and, to be sure, ALL current officials are not opposed to openness. Sheriff Chuck Zerkle, for one, is always cooperative and straightforward. He takes and returns calls. He is actually a public servant).
Transparency, with some exceptions, has always been out of the ordinary in Cabell, though.
The only thing behaving like the documents you have in your possession should be held in Fort Knox does is make the curious wonder even more what you have to hide. If an officeholder is secretive, there may be a reason. I’ve found there also may not be.
It’s obvious why Smith wants to keep McKenzie’s hiring details top secret. Nobody can fault the vendor for taking a sweetheart deal, so despite the contractor’s bluster, I don’t fault him.
It’s the elected officials who are supposed to be protecting the taxpayers who should shoulder the blame here.
If your 2022 vote is going for someone looking out for your well-being, it won’t be going to Smith. This one incident proves that. And McKenzie won’t be on the ballot.
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Starting at Delegate District One, expect Republican Pat McGheehan to give his super majority a quick win election night in the Northern Panhandle.
His Democrat opponent is Jack Wood.
District Two pits former Democrat Delegate Ronnie Jones versus Republican incumbent Mark Zatazalo. It’s more or less a rematch of former District One contests and Zatazalo should be the early favorite.
Jones, however, is no push over. This is one to.keep.an eye on.
For the thusfar uninitiated, we will point out again that the 2022 House races feature 100 single-member districts as opposed to the previous 68 that included some multi-candidate districts.
The single-member mandate meant that, in some cases, incumbents face each other. It also brings together opponents in districts numbered differently than in the recent past.
House District Three features incumbent Democrat Phillip Deserio and Republican Jimmy Willis.
Deserio is the early favorite.
District Four features a fascinating story of how the contest between Republican incumbent Erikka Storch and liberal Democrat challenger Teresa Toriseva came to be.
Toriseva, long a progressive activist, told the Wheeling media she was driving on the last day of filing and stopped at a post office to get her application in. She notes her advocacy as a lawyer and particularly points to her support for first responders as reasons she became convinced she should run.
As a delegate, Toriseva says she will be an advocate for her House district and will bring her advocacy experience to that office.
Storch has served her previous district for nearly a decade and is clearly business-oriented.
A campaign of two contrasting philosophies. We like those.
Ron Gregory is a regular political columnist and reporter for LOOTPRESS. Contact him at 304-533-5185; ronjgregory@gmail.com; or PO Box 20297; Charleston, WV 25362. Confidentiality is guaranteed.