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Having Fun With MojoHey kids! Mojo here! As you can imagine, I get lots of mail from constituents, or what I call fan mail! I thought I would share a few recent letters and my replies...Dear Mojo: Enclosed is a picture that my sister took of you and me when you were in Beckley a few weeks ago. Can you autograph it and send it back? Thanks! -- Henrietta Jones, Ghent.Dear Henrietta: Would love to! Unfortunately, it's against my policy to use taxpayer dollars to mail photos of myself. HA! JUST KIDDING! That was a knee-slapper! Couldn't hardly keep a straight face as I was writing it! Enclosed is your photo and several more! Thanks for writing!Dear Mojo: When I see you on TV, I'm always struck by how tall and handsome you are. Why did you go into politics instead of the movies? -- Georgia Smith, Clarksburg.Dear Georgia: I get asked that all the time. Unfortunately, during my freshman year at WVU on a football scholarship, I suffered a severe knee injury that prevented me from seeking legitimate employment. Naturally, in the movies I would have to be an action star, and the knee injury prevented running and jumping. Fortunately, it did not prevent the less strenuous activity of pandering, which opened the door to politics! Dear Mojo: We have had lots of governors over the years in West Virginia. You, however, are far and away our greatest governor. Just wanted you to know. -- J.U., Martinsburg.Dear J.U.: Thanks! Funny, I noticed your letter was postmarked in Charleston. But no problem! I don't like to call myself our greatest governor, so I'm always glad when someone else does! Keep trying, J.U. -- I might endorse you yet!
State Senator Billy Wayne Bailey's admission that he no longer lives in the county -- Wyoming -- he was elected to represent means, under state law, that his seat should be immediately vacated.The Beckley Register-Herald reported the following on Tuesday:Bailey has changed his residence, moving to Beckley, saying he can reside in Raleigh County even though the county already has a senator — fellow Democrat Mike Green. Under state law, no more than one member of the West Virginia Senate can reside in a county.“Sure I can,” he said, when asked if he could retain his 9th District seat while living in Beckley. “I just can’t run for senator again.”As usual, Bailey is very wrong. The state Constitution clearly says in Article VI, Section 6-12, "No person shall be a senator or delegate who has not for one year next preceding his election, been a resident within the district or county from which he is elected; and if a senator or delegate remove from the district or county for which he was elected, his seat shall be thereby vacated."(ital. added).The most ironic part of all this is that Bailey plans to run for Secretary of State. Heaven help
Now, "domicile" has been defined by the courts in various ways, including "a combination of residence or presence with the intention of remaining; and if domicile has once existed, mere temporary absence will not destroy it, however long such absence is continued." In other words, Bailey, if he was smart.... let's all say a big IF... would at least do what Robert C. Byrd did for years and maintain a post office box, which would be roughly the necessary size to house all of Bailey's accumulated knowledge, if not his actual physical self.Even John Unger, who represents the 16th Senate District in the Eastern Panhandle but by all accounts lives most of the time in Charleston, is not dumb enough to openly call Charleston his home, and manages to maintain some kind of domiciled presence in Martinsburg.Of course, the odds of Bailey even getting through the Democrat primary are about the same as Dennis Kucinich's. Nevertheless, what he is openly admitting in regard to his residency is an outrage if it is permitted to stand, and an insult to the voters who elected him.Chris Strovel, who for several years has co-hosted "Panhandle Live" on WEPM with state Sen. John Unger, is taking a job with the office of Shelley Moore Capito, against whom Unger is running for Congress. The announcement was made Monday by the Capito office.Strovel will serve as the Eastern Panhandle field rep in the Second District, replacing John Reisenweber, who recently joined Centra Bank in Martinsburg, according to a press release.“Chris has lived and worked in the Eastern Panhandle for nearly twenty years. He has a unique understanding of the area that will be a valuable service for my office as well as those living in the panhandle,” Rep. Capito said. Strovel reportedly sought out the position with Capito when Reisenweber's departure Having been tapped for this honor himself, Messina, as part of the deal, was charged with naming "5 blogs that make you think," and included the Republican Gazette among his five, saying the R-G is "faithfully updated, rich in nuggets of political dish and inside skinny. Often laugh-out-loud funny as well."He also adds at the end of his post, "As always, I express no opinions as to the points of view or political bents of any of these blogs. Rather, as the creator of the award put it, I chose blogs 'with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!'" (It's a nice honor as well as a "memetag" program, designed to create information sharing across the web.)I've said before that Messina's blog fills a unique niche in the blogosphere, offering a valuable roundup of news and commentary while avoiding, as befits an AP reporter, spouting opinions of his own, except for the occasional pithy comment here or there. Now, all I have to do is come up with five blogs to nominate myself. Two or three will be easy enough, but I'll have to think about it over the weekend and come up with a list on Monday, which, as a thinking blogger, should not be too difficult. I hope.
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