Nick Casey Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Gov. Jim Justice Appoints Ex-Chief of Staff to State Board

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has appointed his former chief of staff to the state Workers’ Compensation Board of Review.

Charleston lawyer Nick Casey told The Charleston Gazette-Mail on Wednesday that his appointment was unexpected and appreciated. The board is a three-member judicial panel that hears appeals of workers’ compensation claims.

Casey replaces W. Jack Stevens as a Democrat board member. By statute, the position pays a salary of over $103,000.

Justice switched parties from Democrat to Republican on Aug. 3. He said in an Aug. 14 statement that Casey was no longer his chief of staff. Casey, who begins work in his new position on Jan. 2, is also a former state Democratic Party chairman.

The state Senate will have to confirm Casey’s appointment during the 2018 regular session.

Nick Casey Out as Justice Chief of Staff in West Virginia

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says Nick Casey is no longer his chief of staff.

Justice issued a statement Monday announcing Casey’s departure and said he wished more had been accomplished during the legislative session. Justice said he had “given this a lot of thought and going forward I just didn’t see any pathway where it would work out.”

Casey is a former state Democratic Party chairman and congressional candidate. Justice switched parties from Democrat to Republican on Aug. 3.

Casey is an attorney and certified public accountant and was treasurer of Justice’s election campaign. He was appointed chief of staff soon after Justice was elected last fall.

W.Va. Starts New Fiscal Year with a Deficit

The Governor’s Office says the state technically ended the previous fiscal year in the black last month, but there is already a deficit in fiscal year 2018.

The new budget year officially began July 1—less than two weeks ago—and the state is already $11 million short.

Gov. Jim Justice’s Chief of Staff Nick Casey said Wednesday that’s because lawmakers anticipated a larger surplus at the end of the previous fiscal year.

Casey explained West Virginia ended fiscal year 2017 with a $100 million deficit.

Revenue officials were able to plug that hole by sweeping agency accounts, or taking one-time money state agencies had saved, maintaining previous cuts, and by using money from the Rainy Day Fund. Casey said with all of that action, the state actually ended the fiscal year with a $63 million surplus.

The problem is lawmakers were counting on an $82 million surplus and had appropriated half of that revenue into the current budget.

“As we started July 1, the prediction of the Legislature that we would in fact have a surplus we could spend was over stated by $11 million,” Casey said, “so we started $11 million in the hole.”

Casey said the governor is hoping for increased severance tax revenues and a boost from road construction in the upcoming fiscal year, but those increased revenues are already built into the budget and won’t make up for the $11 million shortfall.

Justice Names Campaign Treasurer as Chief of Staff

Governor-elect Jim Justice has appointed his election campaign’s treasurer as his chief of staff.

Justice takes office in January.

Nick Casey, an attorney and certified public accountant in Charleston, was managing partner of Lewis, Glasser, Casey, & Rollins. In 2013, he was elected treasurer of the American Bar Association and has been president of the West Virginia State Bar Association and the Kanawha County Bar Association.

Justice says Casey has the experience and background to help transform the state.

Casey says he’s working with the Democrat Justice to fill his cabinet and transition team.

West Virginia's 2nd Congressional House Seat Remains Red

The seat in the second Congressional Delegation came up for grabs after Shelley Moore Capito decided to run for the United States Senate.

The enthusiasm at the Mooney campaign’s post-election party in Charles Town was anything but quiet. As soon as the polls closed at 7:30 p.m., supporters showed up in droves.

Throughout the evening, the vote tally between Mooney and Casey remained close, but the Republican’s supporters never faltered in confidence.

During the race for the 2^nd Congressional District seat, Mooney received some criticism from West Virginians for not being a native of the state. But Mooney says he chose West Virginia because he felt connected to it.

“Many of you know, my family and I are West Virginians by choice,” said Mooney, “and we love this state. West Virginia is our home. We love the natural beauty all around us, we love the friendly, welcoming citizens, and we love that West Virginians are principled fighters.”

Bret Hrbek, one of the many Mooney supporters, had this to say about Mooney’s change in venue.

“Maryland wasn’t very welcoming to him,” noted Hrbek, “so he found a place that he would be able to identify with and be able to represent in a better capacity, because his value system and values are West Virginia values.”

With Mooney’s win, the 2^nd Congressional District seat remains red. The seat was previously held by Shelley Moore Capito for 14 years.

On the Democrats side, an enthusiastic room of supporters might have lost their excitement, but stayed committed to the Nick Casey in Charleston as the numbers finally revealed his campaigns demise.

Supporters stuck around and chanted “Nick, Nick, Nick!” as Casey took the podium to deliver the concession speech.

In the end, Casey says he wouldn’t have done anything differently and encourages supporters to keep pride in West Virginia.

“So I ask that you do one thing,” Casey said, “stay invested in to this state. Don’t feel like this is a loss. Feel like this is just another opportunity as we face other opportunities and move forward.”

Casey hurried to the back after the speech. Several of the supporters expressed their disappointment not only in Casey’s race but also races across the state as Democrats lose several political seats on a national and state level.

Candidates on the Attack: The Race for the 2nd Congressional District

The race in the 2nd Congressional District has gotten more and more ugly over the past few weeks as candidates dig in for the final push before Election Day. Democratic candidate Nick Casey talks about his view of the partisan politics in Washington and how he thinks he can make a change, as well as discusses the major issues facing the district.

Dr. Scott Crichlow of West Virginia University discusses how a non-decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, in less than a week, caused West Virginia to go from a state defining marriage as between a man and a woman to one that is issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples.

In a reporter roundtable, we recap the U.S. Senate debate between Shelley Moore Capito and Natalie Tennant and look forward to a debate in the 3rd Congressional District pitting Congressman Nick Rahall against state Sen. Evan Jenkins.