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by Jeremiah
Governor Tomblin made a strong statement to his more vocal gubernatorial rivals Tuesday. Per Tomblin's speech:
I have prepared for this moment with one guiding thought. West Virginia first...If we act for our own interest we will end up tearing each other apart and West Virginia will suffer." The road for a more prosperous West Virginia begins with the knowledge that we must---we must work together.
Basically, Tomblin is saying to put the best interest of the State ahead of partisan posturing or ambitions to be Governor. You cannot really get more direct than that. Tomblin's statement does not fall on deaf ears and will likely be taken as a direct assault by folks like Thompson and Perdue. Of the gubnatorial succession, Thompson recently stated to the DailyMail regarding the urgent need for an election:
We don't have kings.
Thompson was obviously not pleased with Tomblin's ceremonial anointment. Without a doubt it is heating up between many of the factions vying to be Governor but despite wrangling for a new election by WV Republicans and some hopeful Democratic gubernatorial candidates like Speaker Thompson and and Treasurer Perdue, the State appears split on whether or not a new election is necessary. Per Ry Rivard at the DailyMail, consultant Mark Blankenship reflected on a recent poll:
Across the state there is nearly as much opposition to a special election as there is support. But there are very stark divisions along partisan and gender lines with men and GOP voters favoring a special election much stronger than Democrats, Independents and women.
That does not bode well for those wanting a quick election. If citizens are not overwhelmingly pushing for a special election now, they sure as hell won't be in favor of one when they realize it costs the State approximately $12 million (figure cited by Phil Kabler this week) to conduct the election.
My position remains to let Tomblin hold the office until 2012 for continuity of governance and fiscal reasons. A twelve million dollar price tag is simply too high given the economy and the State's many budgetary needs, especially for the very short time frame the new Governor would serve (a year and a half and one legislative session).
Let's hope cooler heads prevail up at the Statehouse, especially amongst Democrats. We cannot have these folks tearing one another apart for political reasons while there are several crucial policy areas where they must work together to benefit the State. Like Tomblin said, it is time to put West Virginia first. |
