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The Republican Gazette
Secret Agent Unger
(held over by popular demand)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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REPUBLICAN OF THE YEAR
Snyder: 'I need to see what damage control I should do'
Herb Snyder told a Delegate from the Eastern Panhandle that he wanted to see a copy of an email from the governor's office to Sen. John Unger because "I need to see what damage control I should do."The revelation was made Monday by David Welch, host of "Panhandle Live" on WEPM in Martinsburg.Snyder, the Democrat candidate for the state Senate in the 16th District, made that statement in an email to Del. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, after Blair made Snyder aware of an email from the governor's legislative director, Jim Pitrollo, that contradicted Snyder's claim that Gov. Joe Manchin had come to him asking Snyder to push for a new economic development zone in the Eastern Panhandle. Also contradicting Snyder last week was a spokesman for the governor, Melvin Smith, who told The Journal, "It's Mr. Snyder's project. He is the creator and he's the one who approached the governor about it." Snyder has been insisting that the governor approached him with the idea, and repeated that assertion several times last Thursday on "Panhandle Live," when he called in after an appearance by his opponent, Republican Bob Adams. Additionally, The Journal reported on July 18, "Snyder said Manchin was the one who came up with the idea for the economic zone and wants it to succeed."Snyder's latest difficulty with facts has reminded many Eastern Panhandle residents of an issue relating to NASCAR six years ago, when Snyder was claiming that he was having talks with officials about building a NASCAR facility in the region.Eventually, NASCAR president Mike Helton sent a letter to Snyder asking him to stop referring to the track as a NASCAR facility. As reported at the time by the Hagerstown Herald-Mail, the letter to Snyder referred to a newspaper story which had appeared with Snyder's claims. Helton wrote to Snyder, "As I'm sure you know, NASCAR does not own or operate racetracks or museums, and it is not in any way affiliated with the proposal(s) described in this article. In addition, NASCAR has not committed to, or even suggested that it would sanction any races at a proposed racetrack in this area." Helton added, "...I'm sure you can appreciate that in these overly litigious times, we have found the need to affirmatively state our position clearly in the event that various representations may be made to public officials which may incorrectly point to NASCAR's affiliation in a project." Adams discusses fight to hold onto farm property
Bob Adams, candidate for the state Senate from the 16th District, today discussed his fight to hold onto property he and his wife, Allison, purchased three years ago with hopes of opening Falcon Ridge Farm as an equestrian farm, but the economic climate in West Virginia proved to be a major roadblock. “The fact that the economic climate in West Virginia is not conducive to the success of small businesses is evident across the state, and further points out the need for a change in the way government operates out of Charleston, and locally in Jefferson County," said Adams today."As The Journal reported in a 2006 story, Allison and I tried working with the Jefferson County Planning Commission to gain approval for the project, which came only after we endured significant financial hardship."Adams said, “I am very disappointed that one of our first efforts to start a small business in West Virginia did not succeed. But we did not give up, and in recent years Allison and I have started and grown a successful business, Great Inflates, of which we are very proud, and which is one of the largest party rental businesses in West Virginia. “I continue to work with the bank to reach a responsible outcome and, in fact, I have continued to pay all property taxes because I continue to own the property and I intend to meet my obligations every possible way that I can.Adams added, “In a day and age when nine out of every 10 small businesses fail, we continue to pursue the entrepreneurial dream to build a better life for our family. It is my hope that my service in the State Senate will have a positive impact on bringing about the changes we need in our state’s business and economic climate to help other families keep their properties and live their dreams of investing their hard work and resources toward the growth of West Virginia.”Adams owns both the Falcon Ridge Farm property as well as another Jefferson County residence on Paso Corto Dr in Kearneysville, where he resides with his family. Benjamin takes colleagues, attorneys to task for acts in regard to recusal politics
Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin has used his authorship of a concurring opinion in the Harman-Caperton v. Massey case to expound on a number of issues that plagued the court just before the primary election, from rantings of justices to the politics of the recusal issue. The West Virginia Record has a full accounting of Benjamin's opinion. In a clear effort to try to affect the outcome of the May primary, lawyers for Hugh Capertson filed photos with the Court showing Justice Spike Maynard vacationing with Massey CEO Don Blankenship. They also tried to create a media circus over whether Benjamin should recuse himself from hearing the case, arguing that Blankenship's independent effort in 2004 to defeat Warren McGraw should force Benjamin off of Massey-related cases.Benjamin directly addresses that issue in his concurring opinion, writing, "I neither have, nor at any time have ever had, any direct, personal, substantial or pecuniary interest, real or otherwise, in the outcome of this case," Benjamin writes. "My campaign was completely independent of any independent expenditure group or individual. …"The outcome of the 2004 election was due primarily to my campaign's message of fairness, stability and predictability in decision-making, the importance of the rule of law to courts, and the need for judges to exercise civility, integrity and personal professionalism. … The campaign of my opponent, former-Justice McGraw, was devastated by a speech which he gave at Racine, West Virginia, on Labor Day, and by the effective publication of this speech to the people of West Virginia by the Benjamin campaign."In fact, before the Benjamin campaign "published" McGraw's speech to the people, the West Virginia Republican Party did so, as you can hear by playing the clip below...