MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Forget the rancor and rhetoric of presidential politics.
Forget the animosity in the Attorney General’s race.
By and large, one statewide race has been a touch cleaner; Democrat Mary Ann Claytor and Republican J.B. McCuskey (R – Kanawha, 35) appeared on MetroNews “Talkline” with Hoppy Kercheval to make their case for succeeding the recently retired longtime State Auditor, Glen Gainer.
“I made it clear from the beginning,” Claytor said. “People were telling me, ‘You’re going to have to attack. You’re going to have to attack.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m not going to attack.’ And they said, ‘Well your opponents are going to attack you.’ And I said, ‘If they do, they’ll play that game by themselves.”
“I’m running a positive campaign only,” McCuskey said. “I try to only speak about my qualifications for this position.”
Claytor, who is an auditor by trade, said her experience in the State Auditor’s Office/Tax Department is a big selling point.
“I’m the only candidate running that actually has an accounting degree and has been a real auditor for over 20 years,” she said.
“In the real business world, we would pick someone who has my qualifications. I would be the only one who would get called for those interviews.”
McCuskey, though, countered Claytor’s argument about auditing experience by citing his credentials litigating property law. Specifically, he points to the state’s role and the Auditor’s role at a time when tax collections are down.
“The Auditor is also the Commissioner of Delinquent Lands,” he said. “All the property that comes off the books when the taxes aren’t sold in every county are to be sold by the state Auditor’s Office.”
“It is incumbent to have the next state Auditor to make sure that this property is sold quickly to make sure that the county and the citizens who live there don’t suffer.”
McCuskey, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and lawyer, said he believes the Auditor’s Office can play a positive role in improving a state that he believes is full of untapped potential.
“The way that my friends and neighbors have reacted to not only my political career, but also our foray into having a business; and we live in a place that’s pretty unique in this world,” he said. “Your neighbors will do whatever they can to make sure that your children grow up properly. And your neighbors will do whatever they can to make sure that your business is successful and you are successful.”
“It takes a lawyer. Someone like me who has been a clerk in the federal courts of this state who understands our securities laws in order to prosecute that. The Auditor is the only Board of Public Works member with prosecutorial authority.”
Claytor, who is running a grassroots campaign that propelled her to victory in the Democratic primary, has made transparency, money in politics, and her experience the focal points of her campaign.
“I just don’t think our founders ever thought we would be at this point where, you know, whoever has the most money to be able to get their name out,” she said. “I think the intention was that people would get out and meet people and be able to talk to you personally.”
Another issue that has come up, though hasn’t necessarily been a wedge issue for the two candidates, is the new accounting system Oasis.
“Once we get all of our state employees trained on our program and it starts functioning the way that it should, it’s going to be really good,” McCuskey said. “The cons: we’re way over budget, it took way too long, and what you see is the typical government way of doing things with lots of money is it’s inefficient and it’s slow.”
Claytor, keeping with one of the major themes of her campaign, said the system was less transparent than what it replaced–a program called Vista.
“The system needs to let me people know why we are writing checks,” she said. “We need more of an explanation.”
Claytor, who also appeared on “The Mike Queen Show” on the AJR News Network as part of the “Radio Town Hall Series,” said she has a simple litmus test for transactions made in government.
“If you don’t feel comfortable having it broadcast all over the state of West Virginia or whatever your area; if the citizens will be aware of this purchase that you are making, then don’t make it,” she said.
Claytor is a native of St. Albans. McCuskey is from Charleston.
Libertarian candidate Brent Ricketts will also appear on the ballot.
Early voting begins Wednesday.