Published: January 18, 2007 06:30 pm      

Constructive chats help advance regional agenda at legislative breakfast

Breaking down the partisan wall in the West Virginia Legislature has made most of the accomplishments possible during the past two years and will allow further progress in the future, according to Gov. Joe Manchin when he spoke to the West Virginia Press Association Thursday morning.

Addressing a larger than normal crowd at the annual legislative breakfast at The Marriott, Manchin looked back on improvements including Workers’ Compensation reform and reported $120 million was saved. He said insurance reform put $80 million back in the pockets of the citizens of the state. While there were representatives of daily and weekly newspapers from throughout the state, the turnout by legislators was the best recorded in several years.

Among those who sat at the Bluefield Daily Telegraph/Princeton Times table with Times Editor and General Manager Tammie Toler and me were three senators — Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo (Sixth District), Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer and Senator Jesse Guills, R-Greenbrier (both 10th District) and four Democrat Delegates: Marshall Long, District 25, Eustace Frederick, District 24, both from Mercer County, Clif Moore, District 23, McDowell County and Mike Burdiss, District 22, Wyoming County.

Delegate Mike Porter, Republican, District 25, Mercer County, missed the breakfast due the death of a close friend. Two other Senators who have close ties with Four Seasons Country, Mike Oliverio, D-Monongalia, whose wife is from Bluefield, and Finance Chairman Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas, who has previously worked as McDowell County’s Economic Development Director, stopped by the table to say hello.

Moore reported McDowell County Day at the Legislature on Wednesday was another huge success.

All the local lawmakers are legislative veterans except Burdiss, who has is no stranger to politics and state government. Burdiss said his wife, Pat, is helping him set up files and get his office running. Pat worked in the Senate as a secretary a few years ago and knows the ropes.

Long and Frederick are long-time legislators while Moore was re-elected after completing his first term. Table talk centered around important issues and bills being prepared.

Guills reported he is working on several bills, including one that will place restrictions on cell phone use while driving a vehicle. It appears the measure will move to committees soon. There are so many complaints about drivers talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to driving that the bill will surely get some consideration this year.

Chafin and Caruth both have additional duties in their political parties. Chafin has been majority leader for several years and balances his senate-wide power along with excellent representation of his district. Caruth is newly elected as minority leader and is learning that he’s much more in demand by the news media, other lawmakers, visitors and staff than he was during the previous two years as senator.

Talk around the table touched on the teacher salary situation and all listened intently when the Governor explained why he made the 2.5 percent recommendation. Nobody wanted to comment on a proposal to raise legislators’ salaries.

There was discussions about “getting together” among area lawmakers to talk business. It was good to sit among a group of elected representatives and see the professional approach they have toward representing the folks back home. With few exceptions, the “southern” lawmakers are “together” and appear ready to support the local area. One of the topics was the proposed methadone clinic for Mercer County and a bill being prepared to require strict regulations on clinics and the people who participate in the program.

While there was not much said about the Governor-mandated West Virginia Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority report concerning the Turnpike, everybody is waiting. Hopefully, there won’t have to be a fight in the legislature again this year.

The strong ties formed during the adversity faced by our lawmakers and the community in the Bluefield State College issue and over the turnpike tolls have served to unite not only the lawmakers who represent us, but also the entire affected southern counties.

That’s good. The rest of West Virginia now knows the state does not end in Beckley.

Barbara Hawkins is Chief Political Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. Contact her at bhawkins@sunlitsurf.com.