For Immediate Release:

March 9, 2016

Contact: Brittni McGuire, [email protected], 304-342-8121

THE NASTY POLITICAL GAMES OF SENATOR BILL COLE AND GOP MAJORITY CONTINUE 

Once again putting politics over people, Bill Cole & GOP strike Democrats & Labor leaders off  various state board nominations

The Senate Confirmations Committee removed seven names off of a list of 454 nominations submitted by Governor Tomblin. The list submitted by the Governor included Democrats and labor leaders that have served on boards previously and had never been rejected before until now. Cole and the Republican majority’s vindictive action removed Democrats and labor leaders from the following nominations: State Democratic Party Chair Belinda Biafore from the Women’s Commission, AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue from the Workforce Investment Board, and Communications Workers of America Representative Elaine Harris from the PEIA Finance Board. Democratic supporter James Frio was also rejected for the Athletics Commission and the Auctioneers Board.

Two other members of the PEIA board were also kicked off in the GOP’s effort to play the blame game while putting off addressing and fixing the PEIA shortfall.

Senator Jeff Kessler, a member of the Senate Confirmations Committee, told MetroNews, “It was an ugly display of pure political power to try to take vindictive action against people who the Governor had nominated and had served on various boards with distinction for some time.” He went on to say, “In 19 years, I’ve never seen that happen.”

Kicking labor leaders while they have them down, Cole and the GOP are sending a message to the state of West Virginia that if you stand up to them and fight for hardworking West Virginia families, there will be consequences.

Removing Democrats and labor leaders off the Governor’s nomination list is simply an act of power and politics because after all, Bill Cole and the Republican majority will stop at nothing to play politics on the backs of hardworking West Virginians. 

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