Gov.-elect Jim Justice says a Charleston attorney, accountant and Kanawha County commissioner will be his administration’s secretary of the Department of Revenue.
Dave Hardy, whose law practice focuses on energy and mining law, also teaches public budgeting at West Virginia State University.
He was elected to the Charleston City Council in 1995 and first elected to the Kanawha County Commission in 2002.
The native of Pratt, West Virginia, will resign from the commission effective Jan. 19 and start his state post the next day.
Justice says Hardy has the experience to help his administration “conquer the budget crisis.”
The state government has a projected $400 million deficit in its $4.1 billion budget.
Hardy will replace Robert Kiss, revenue secretary for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin whose term is expiring.