The Republican Gazette welcomes Emails to the Editor and press releases. All submitted items must include the name and contact information for the author of the article, and all articles will only be published with the author's name included. Thank you for reading and participating in The Republican Gazette, another of West Virginia's most biased publications.
< NEW! Search the Republican Gazette archives!
All opinions are those of The Republican Gazette and its editor, Gary Abernathy, except letters or commentary signed by others, and do not reflect the views of anyone else, including clients of Abernathy Strategies.
Shelley Moore was an active First Lady
When West Virginia University's Faculty Senate voted Wednesday to endorse Duane Nellis as the school's next president, the outcome was not surprising. What did surprise most observers was the amazingly lopsided margin by which Nellis was preferred.
Members of the Senate Faculty, who are elected to represent faculty members from all branches of WVU, voted for Nellis by a 47-5 margin, representing a resounding repudiation of Mike Garrison's candidacy.
Actually, as many faculty members made clear, the repudiation was not so much of Garrison himself as of the process by which he was promoted for the post and the belief that his connection to politically powerful individuals is the main reason he is even a candidate for the position.
The Senate Faculty vote has no official place in the selection process, but it was an embarrassing rebuke and can hardly be ignored.
Gwen Bergner, associate professor of English at WVU, said at the Senate Faculty meeting, "It's clear that we need to reach beyond the confines of the state of West Virginia. Given Mr. Garrison's lack of experience outside the state ... we would have difficulty arguing that he's qualified to do that. I think his candidacy -- if he were successful --
A frequent presence around the state, she also brought public attention to needs of mansion
Former First Lady Shelley R. Moore began the tradition of public tours of the Governor's Mansion and started the West Virginia Mansion Preservation Foundation to help restore and maintain the mansion.
Mrs. Moore is the focus of a tribute Saturday evening at the Marriott Hotel in Charleston as part of a fundraiser for the West Virginia Republican Party.
She earned her degree in education at
West Virginia University, where she met her future husband.
She taught school for several years in Pennsylvania before her husband entered politics. When Arch Moore Jr. was first elected in 1970, she began what would become a long tenure as First Lady of West Virginia, serving in that capacity for 12 years, speaking frequently around the state.
Reservations can still be made for Saturday's tribute, which features a 6 p.m. dinner, tributes to Mrs. Moore from family, friends and admirers, and a concert by the Runaway Band. Call 768-0495 for details.
FIRST LADY SHELLEY R. MOORE
Lopsided faculty vote came as a surprise to many
Nellis' margin of victory is a repudiation of 'search,' but there's a very good reason Garrison will still get picked
DUANE NELLIS
MIKE GARRISON
it does make us in some ways continue to look rather insular and provincial.'' (Associated Press)
More bluntly stated, some have said Garrison's selection would make the presidency of WVU seem like little more than the kind of county patronage job typically handed out by local political bosses.
Many observers have long believed Garrison's selection is a foregone conclusion. But even if it was, the magnitude of the opposition has been enough to stir even those power brokers who seldom have to worry about the opinions at the grassroots level. But stirred is not shaken.
At this point, unveiling Garrison on Friday as the new WVU president would indicate a near complete disregard for public opinion and perception. It would be the height of hubris. Still, it is very likely to happen just that way.
Why? Because if Duane Nellis were to be awarded the job, it would be an admission on the part of the power brokers that the public at large, when properly motivated, can actually trump the backroom politics advanced by the West Virginia good old boy network.
It would, in fact, be an embarrassing ceding of power, and a precedent that could prove difficult to reverse. Much better not to let the horse leave the barn in the first place.
Bernstine says new job 'better fit' than WVU
Daniel Bernstine, the Portland State University president who withdrew his name from the West Virginia University presidential search process, then quickly took another job with the Law School Admissions Council, said the LSAC job was a "better fit" than WVU.
"It was a better fit and a good opportunity in terms of looking at getting back into my own profession," Bernstine told the Portland State Daily Vanguard.
The LSAC, by the way, is located just next door in Pennsylvania.
