Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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November 14, 2011

It’s official: Governor Tomblin

Staff and wire reports Bluefield Daily Telegraph

CHARLESTON — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin became the Mountain State’s 35th governor in a ceremony Sunday afternoon on the south plaza of the state capitol.

Fellow Logan County resident, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., who recently won the “America’s Got Talent” competition, sang the National Anthem at the ceremony, and former governor, now U.S. Senator Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., introduced Tomblin.

“Today is a very proud day for me to stand with all of you and my dear friend, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin,” Manchin stated, reading from prepared remarks. “We stand together on this day as leaders of a great and strong state. A state that truly stands out in our great nation in these challenging times,” Manchin was quoted in a press release as stating. “A state that lives within its means.”

During his inauguration remarks, Tomblin expressed his thanks to his family, friends, supporters and the citizens who turned out to be a part of the day.

“I stand here today, a proud son of Chapmanville, West Virginia,” Tomblin was quoted in a press release from his office as stating. “It was in my hometown that I learned the values of family, faith, community and hard work that continues to guide me on this day.

“As your humble servant, I will work every day to bring people together and do what is best for all of West Virginia,” according to the press release. “From the Northern and Eastern panhandles to the Southern coalfields, we are influenced by our geographic locations, but we are united by our desire to move our state forward and make it all that it can be.”

State Delegate John Frazier, D-Mercer, attended the ceremony. He said that there was a long reception line after the ceremony, but when he got to speak to the governor, he said it was “a beautiful day and a beautiful ceremony,” Frazier said.

“I agreed with Senator Manchin who said it was one of those rare inaugural ceremonies where you could still feel your feet and hands at the end of the ceremony,” Frazier said. “I’ve been to a number of swearing-in ceremonies, and this was certainly one of the most beautiful days for one.”

In addition to the day, Frazier said he was impressed with Tomblin’s remarks. “He said he plans to continue to do what is best and to put West Virginia first,” Frazier said. “He said that will be his focus as governor, and I think that’s important.

“It was a beautiful day,” Frazier said.

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