If Earl Ray Tomblin wins the election for West Virginia’s next governor, there will be a scramble in the Senate to replace him as Senate president. Sen. Jeff Kessler is holding down that spot in an acting capacity while Tomblin now serves as acting governor.
Kessler will no doubt seek to become the Senate president. The rumors heard down on the banks of the Great Kanawha have it that Raleigh County Sen. Mike Green, Wayne County Sen. Robert Plymale and possibly one more senator will also be seeking that important post.
Green, a Raleigh County businessman and developer, was first elected to the senate in 2006. The Raleigh County senator has served as chair of the Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining. Plymale, first elected to the Senate in 1992, has served as the chairman of the Committee on Education. Both have served on many other committees.
Kessler was elected acting Senate president Jan. 12, after the Senate voted to adopt a change to the Senate rules creating that position. The role of the acting senate president is to serve at times when the Senate president is called to act as governor.
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When Kessler gained control of committee assignments in the Senate he placed his Northern Panhandle colleagues in leadership positions. He appointed Sen. Orphy Klempa, D-Ohio, as vice-chairman of the Senate Roads, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as vice chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee. Sen. Jack Yost, D-Brooke, was appointed to chair the Senate Labor Committee under Kessler and serve as vice chairman of the Senate Military Committee. Kessler also appointed Sen. Larry Edgell, D-Wetzel, as the chairman of confirmation.
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Mercer County has a new Democrat Chairman. Wayne Robinette was elected to that position after County Commissioner Mike Vinciguerra resigned as county Democrat chairman earlier this month. Today is also Robinette’s birthday. Happy Birthday Wayne, Dora Shrader, Pete Fountain, Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry, and to anyone else that was almost a Fourth of July firecracker.
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The little piece in this column earlier this week about this year being the 75th anniversary for the class of 1936 for Bramwell High School generated some curiosity. My good friend Alan Light called and said that he had to call several cousins to find out who Margaret Poteet was. She turned out to be his Aunt Rae. Alan’s mother is the late Janie Poteet Light. Rae Poteet Boone and her husband, William, are alive and well living in Marietta, Ga. Rae is a young 94 years of age. The Boone’s lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for nearly 40 years before returning to the states. There may be other members of the Class of ’36 who are still around.
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Truck drivers apparently do not heed the “no trucks” restriction on Maryland Avenue. Something is wrong. Either the signs are not clear or are blatantly disobeyed. It is no wonder that Maryland Avenue is rough and in need of repair. The street simply was not built to accommodate that type of traffic.
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No, I did not get elected as mayor of Princeton. That honor goes to Trisha “Pat” Wilson — congratulations. Sometimes I do call Princeton “home” after having worked there for a few decades. It is “home” and so are several other communities — Bramwell, Pocahontas, Va., Bluefield, Va., Tazewell, Va., Montgomery and a few other places including Welch..
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There you have it, a few comments on items of interest to the area. I hope you have a wonderful red, white, and blue sky day both today and tomorrow ... and one more thing the Bluefield’s have lost another good person. Bluefield, Va., businesswoman Andora Giffen of Corner Chair Designs will be sadly missed.
Wilson Butt, a resident of Bluefield, is a retired Department of Highways official.
Columns
July 3, 2011
Expect scramble for Senate post
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