Tag: Woody Thrasher

W.Va. Corrections Division Admits Error Led To Political Attack Ad

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — It was a textbook campaign ad, red meat for a tough race — a killer freed, a governor to blame and his Republican challenger promising to keep everyone safe.

But just hours after it aired, West Virginia corrections officials disputed the facts behind gubernatorial hopeful Woody Thrasher’s latest attack on Gov. Jim Justice, and admitted they’re responsible for the error.

The ad debuted Monday morning, criticizing Justice for releasing a convicted murderer as part of a deal to parole dozens of inmates during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Justice didn’t even check on who he let out,” Thrasher said in the advertisement, which was based on information from a Freedom of Information Act request filed with the state.

By Monday afternoon, the state corrections department said it had mistakenly listed the man among those released under the deal. Instead, the agency said he was actually let out for unrelated reasons, after doing his time and then serving 60 days for an alleged probation violation.

Thrasher has been highly critical of the Republican governor in the lead up to the June 9 primary election. He previously was Justice’s commerce secretary but resigned after numerous complaints about poor management of a program he oversaw, to provide housing assistance for victims of a devastating flood in 2016.

The parolee, 35-year-old Michael David Day, was convicted of killing a homeless Vietnam veteran when he was teenager. He was sentenced to life in prison but was paroled in 2017 after a U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled it unconstitutional for juveniles to receive mandatory life sentences. Day was jailed again in January on an alleged probation violation and released March 27.

The headline to this story was updated at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, to more accurately reflect which state agency was responsible for the error.

Former Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher to Challenge Gov. Justice in 2020 GOP Primary

A former West Virginia Department of Commerce secretary forced out of his job last year will challenge his old boss for the governor’s seat.

Businessman Woody Thrasher announced Tuesday, April 16, he’s running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2020. He filed precandidate paperwork at the Secretary of State’s office that afternoon.

“We deserve a full-time governor who is ready, willing and able, around the clock, to bring us jobs, to fix our roads and to preserve our conservative values,” Thrasher said in a statement following his announcement at an event in Bridgeport.

Thrasher and his father founded Bridgeport-based engineering firm The Thrasher Group in 1983. The business has since grown to about 700 employees and 11 offices across seven states.

“We need real leadership that creates economic growth to bring jobs and keep our young people here,” he said.

The primary challenge will make for a race to watch between two West Virginia business moguls who have both been wrapped up in controversy during their time in public service.

Early on, Thrasher had seemingly won the favor of Justice. In November 2017, Thrasher and Justice announced China Energy’s intention to invest $84 billion in West Virginia for development in the natural gas and petrochemical industries. Details of those projects have yet to be made public.

Thrasher resigned from his post as commerce secretary in June 2018 — at the request of Gov. Jim Justice — amid news that the RISE flood recovery program at the time had spent only $1.1 million of $150 million allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Those funds were to rebuild homes following a devastating flood two years prior.

Justice’s campaign, which recently tapped a former Trump state director to run the 2020 gubernatorial re-election bid, responded quickly to news of Thrasher’s announcement.

“When Governor Justice appointed Mr. Thrasher as the Secretary of Commerce, the Governor, and all West Virginians, expected him to put the people of this state above his own interests,” said Justice’s re-election campaign manager Mike Lukach in a news release.

“It’s sad that the opposite happened. Instead, Mr. Thrasher used his appointed position to travel all over the world on the taxpayers’ dime to promote the private companies of his friends, and at the same time, forgot about the RISE flood relief program and all the West Virginians still recovering from the 2016 floods,” Lukach added.

But Justice may be vulnerable when it comes to a re-election campaign. The billionaire businessman-turned-governor has been plagued by a series of media reports delving into his businesses’ finances.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section subpoenaed the state commerce department to hand over documents related to the Justice family-owned The Greenbrier resort, a gold tournament held there and an associated charity. A recent investigation from the Ohio Valley ReSource also showed Justice family coal operations owe more than $4 million in delinquent mine fines.

With the 2020 primary more than a year away, Thrasher’s announcement adds to a growing list of candidates running for governor. According to the Secretary of State’s office, 10 others have filed pre-candidate paperwork to run for West Virginia’s highest office.

The West Virginia Republican Party, which sent out a news release promoting a January announcement for Justice’s re-election bid, said they welcome Thrasher to the GOP. He had, until recently, been registered as a Democrat.

“Primary races are a sign of a growing Republican Party, and the voters will get to decide the Republican nominee,” said West Virginia Republican Party chair Melody Potter. “We’re focused on ensuring our Party is ready to support Republican nominees from President Donald Trump and Senator Shelley Moore Capito at the top of the ticket to local races at the bottom.”

Potter was not immediately available for further comment.

West Virginia’s primary election will be held Tuesday, May 12, 2020.

 

Outgoing W.Va. Lawmakers Gaunch and Upson to Head State Offices

A pair of West Virginia Republican lawmakers who lost reelection bids in November will fill two open cabinet positions.

Gov. Jim Justice appointed outgoing House of Delegates member Jill Upson to fill the position of executive director of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs. That office was previously headed by Bill White, who said the governor fired him after he was accused of sexual harassment this fall.

Upson is from Jefferson County. She was the first Republican African-American woman to be elected to the House and was the Vice Chair of the House Banking committee. She also served on the Joint Select Committee on the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse.

Justice also appointed outgoing state Senate member Ed Gaunch of Kanawha County to fill the position of state Secretary of Commerce. That office has had an interim leader since Woody Thrasher stepped down in June amid controversy about the RISE flood recovery program.

Gaunch chaired the Senate Government Organization committee and was Vice Chair on the Finance, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Pensions committees.

Both Upson and Gaunch were defeated in the November midterm election by Democrats. They will assume their new roles in January.

**Editor’s Note: The headline and story were edited to clarify Gaunch and Upson as “outgoing” state lawmakers. The story incorrectly stated they were “former” state lawmakers.

Burch Named as Interim West Virginia Commerce Secretary

Gov. Jim Justice named W. Clayton Burch as interim secretary at the West Virginia Department of Commerce on Friday, a day after forcing out his predecessor.

Justice said in a statement that Burch has done a good job as acting secretary of the Department of Education and the Arts. Justice said he thinks Burch will be a good fit at the Commerce Department until a permanent leader is named. He said a search will begin immediately.

Justice said Thursday he asked for Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher’s resignation after complaints about poor management and residents receiving no help from a housing assistance program for 2016 flood victims.

Justice named West Virginia Adjutant General James Hoyer earlier this month to take control of the flood recovery program. On Friday, Hoyer said officials were making progress on moving claims forward in the RISE West Virginia program.

To accelerate the rebuilding process, Hoyer has said that case management systems under the Federal Emergency Management Agency and RISE West Virginia would be monitored separately through a disaster response group, the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Hoyer said Friday that after reviewing all the claims in the RISE system, officials believe there are 452 family homes that need to be addressed.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Justice’s predecessor, had put the Commerce Department in charge of the program in 2016. Justice temporarily stopped it this year after it was discovered that a $17 million contract change order had not been properly vetted. Justice has since said that the consulting contract with Horne LLP, a Mississippi-based firm that helps states respond to natural disasters, will be reduced to $9 million or $10 million.

A subsequent investigation uncovered problems within the Commerce Department and the RISE program, which has received $150 million in community development block grants for disaster recovery from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Justice said the HUD money wasn’t made available until this past February. The RISE program began receiving applications for assistance last August but little money had been doled out. He also said Thrasher’s November 2017 news release claiming more than 1,100 families had been served was “totally inaccurate.”

The 2016 floods were unleashed by severe thunderstorms that killed 23 people statewide and destroyed or damaged thousands of homes, businesses and schools. Senate President Mitch Carmichael and House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead wrote last month that many survivors still await help.

After Thrasher’s termination, House and Senate Democratic caucus leaders issued a statement critical of the administration of Justice, a Republican, on its handling of the flood program while taking swipes at the governor himself.

One lawmaker, Delegate Isaac Sponaugle, D-Pendleton, called for Justice to resign as well “so someone else can do the real work” of the governor.

Justice responded by saying he has accomplished more in 17 months than the “lifetime politicians” have in years. He said he has no intention of stepping down and aims to continue working to make West Virginia a better place.

Truck Maker Hino to Relocate Assembly Plant in West Virginia

Japanese truck maker Hino Motors Manufacturing said Wednesday it is moving its West Virginia assembly plant about 20 miles to a larger location at a former retail distribution center.

Hino Motors Manufacturing President Takashi Ono said the $100 million investment could create up to 250 new jobs.

Upscale retailer Coldwater Creek closed its nearly 1 million-square-foot distribution center near Mineral Wells in 2014 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Wood County Development Authority owns the property.

Hino currently assembles medium-duty trucks at a 245,000-square foot facility that opened in 2007 in the Wood County community of Williamstown. That facility currently employs about 300.

The company expects the new location to be operational by 2019. State economic development officials said it will house several operations, including cab assembly currently handled in Japan.

West Virginia Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher said the expanded facility could help the state attract other suppliers to the region.

“We feel this may be the beginning of many good things,” Thrasher said.

Hino’s American headquarters are located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The company operates a parts plant in Marion, Arkansas, and parts distribution centers in Mira Loma, California and Gahanna, Ohio.

Hino is owned by the Toyota Group. It marks the second economic expansion announcement in two days involving Toyota with a facility in West Virginia.

On Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp. announced a $374 million investment at five U.S. plants to support production of its first American-made hybrid powertrain, including $115 million to add hybrid vehicle transmission production in Buffalo, West Virginia.

W.Va. Dept. of Commerce Requests More State Dollars

The West Virginia Department of Commerce gave the House and Senate Finance committees a presentation Monday morning to explore the state’s competitiveness in attracting businesses.

The Commerce department also asked for a significant increase in its funding. However, that request collided with the reality of the state’s dire budget situation.

The Joint Standing Committee on Finance met in the House Chamber for the Department of Commerce’s informational meeting. The presentation was part of Governor Jim Justice’s Save Our State plan to bring more business and jobs to West Virginia.

The presentation explored ways the state could improve its competitive standing by enhancing infrastructure, building up a stronger workforce, and identifying good site building locations. Presenters also said that so-called Right-to-Work legislation has been a positive factor in attracting some businesses to the state.

But the state’s Right-to-Work legislation has not been fully implemented in West Virginia yet. It’s been challenged in a court case, and deemed unconstitutional by a Kanawha County Judge. The case will likely be decided by the West Virginia Supreme Court.

The Department of Commerce Cabinet Secretary Woody Thrasher says that even though the state is facing a budget shortfall this year, it’s not the time to cut the Commerce Department.

“West Virginia is dead last, and the reason we’re dead last, is a variety of reasons, but relative to the Department of Commerce, it’s because we do not have the tools in our toolbox to attract business specifically, really good sites,” Thrasher said, “I think we’re doing a really good job on workforce training. I think we’ve got a great quality of life, but we are way behind everybody else when it comes to having sites ready.”

Thrasher told lawmakers the Department of Commerce would need at least $35 million in increased funding for improving the state’s business climate, attracting more industry, and for site readiness.

House Finance Vice-Chair Eric Householder, of Berkeley County, says he felt inspired by the presentation, but he says increasing the Department’s budget could be tough.

“Right now, it’s going to be extremely difficult,” Householder said, “Currently we fund Commerce roughly around $10 million a year. It’s a tough budget year, as we all know, and it’s going to be extremely difficult, but we’re gonna do what we can. You gotta keep in mind, we’re trying to get the best return on investment for taxpayers.”

Democratic Delegate Larry Rowe, of Kanawha County, is a member of the House Finance Committee. He says he feels the request from the Commerce Department is a reasonable goal to achieve.

“We’re spending $10 million, and little of that is going to programming, most is going to personnel and expenses, so what I’d like to see us do is define very clearly what that extra money would be for and where it’s going to be spent,” Rowe said.

During the presentation, Cabinet Secretary Thrasher mentioned that by the end of the summer, he and his team hope to rebrand the state by having the Department of Tourism join the Department of Commerce. He also noted how getting the state’s Community Colleges involved more heavily in training the workforce will also be key in getting more industry in the state.

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