The House Judiciary Committee Chairman says the next Speaker of the state House of Delegates will need help.
“No one of us that has an interest has enough votes to become Speaker without building relationships and we need to do that collectively, I hope, or not,” Harrison County Delegate Tim Miley said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
Miley was scheduled to meet Wednesday with House Finance Committee Chair Harry Keith White, House Majority Whip Mike Caputo, House Majority Leader Brent Boggs and Wayne County Delegate Don Perdue.
All have been named as possible replacements for current House Speaker Rick Thompson, a Democrat, who will resign on June 15th to become the Secretary of the state Department of Veterans Assistance.
Delegate Miley said they all have to start talking. “I feel like most problems should and can get resolved with face to face, honest, frank, candid discussions and we’re all friends, we’re all colleagues.”
Kanawha County Delegate Doug Skaff’s name has been included on Speaker lists. Miley, though, said Skaff has “rubbed some the wrong way” and that is why he was not included in the Wednesday meeting.
“We need to get over this hurdle first and then I want to certainly make sure that Doug Skaff and others in the House who have an interest are part of all communications,” Miley said.
“We’ve just got to begin talking with each other and that’s just not happened very much up until now.”
Speaker Thompson, who is from Wayne County, has held that role for the past seven years.