After Justice takes reins as governor, what will he deliver?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When he is inaugurated as West Virginia’s 36th governor, Jim Justice might or might not become all things to all people.

But to hear his description of his various roles in life at the conclusion of one of the gubernatorial debates last fall, he aims to come pretty close.

“I would just end by saying this: Judge me by my deeds. Judge me by what I’ve done,” Justice said while wrapping up the Oct. 11 debate against Bill Cole, his Republican opponent.

“I’m a worker. I’m a coach. I’m a giver. I’m Santa Claus. I’m a dad. I’m a husband. I’m a teacher. And most of all, I’m a Christian. I would tell you, we all know what we have to do. And you know me.”

The line about Santa Claus got a few laughs because Justice is a big, white-haired man and because the line came without context. In fact, every Christmas, Justice puts on a custom-made Santa Claus costume and goes out to churches to distribute gifts.

Taken on its face, though, it’s a pretty appropriate statement. Jim Justice told West Virginians he can deliver, and, starting with his midnight oath of office, they want him to get going.

HOPPY KERCHEVAL: Let the journey begin for Governor Jim Justice and West Virginia.

MORE: Jim Justice takes midnight oath, promises to ‘make dreams come true’

Justice brings a multifaceted approach to life, and he’s adding the new role of governor. During the campaign, Justice told West Virginians to trust him. He also said state residents should think big.

So what will that mean over the next four years? Here are some notions to chew on as Justice is inaugurated at the state Capitol.

Jobs

This, plus an outsider’s perspective, was the beacon of Justice’s campaign platform. Now West Virginians will be eager to see if he can back up what he promised.

Justice started talking about jobs the minute he applied to run for governor. He said his experience and know-how are what’s required.

“Politicians love to talk, but they can’t create jobs; I can,” he stated in his campaign’s first news release. “I am tired of all the excuses in Charleston. If you’re happy with the job the political class is doing, I am not your guy — I will take this state where it’s never been before. I’ll take West Virginia on a jobs rocket ride like no one could ever believe.

Justice’s jobs vision includes promoting new uses for coal, finding a niche crop (Justice himself is a six-time national corn growing champ. No, really) and attracting the next Dollywood or Disney resort to West Virginia.

He’s also banking on the power of positive thinking: “You need a governor that can market us to the world. I can!” he said on his official campaign page.

His drive for development started before he even took office. Last week, his administration embraced departing Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s vision for a development park on the 12,000-acres of the former Hobet surface mine on the Boone and Lincoln county line.

Justice’s chief of staff, Nick Casey, sized up the potential for the project by saying: “It’s a big property with big opportunities, and I think the Justice administration’s perspective is, you’ve got to think big. This is big.”

Assessment: Expectations are sky high, like a rocket ride

State budget

The first order of business will almost certainly have to be the state budget. Because West Virginia’s coal industry isn’t bringing in the revenue it used to, the budget has gotten tighter and tighter.

Legislators had to go into overtime to pass a budget last year, relying on a hunk of the Rainy Day Fund and grudgingly passing a hike in the tobacco tax.

During the campaign, Justice was critical of that struggle.

“Couldn’t pass a budget. Fighting amongst themselves. And they were in control. I don’t like that,” Justice said during an Oct. 4 debate against Cole, who had been state Senate president.

The gloomy forecast for the coming fiscal year includes an estimated $400 million budget hole.

But Justice’s instruction manual for fixing the budget problem hasn’t yet been specified.

Generally, Justice points toward economic growth as the solution. He touted several possibilities to accomplish that, including sweeping accounts, a federal environmental subsidy meant to promote the timber industry, a trend toward rising coal prices in particular markets and a short-term loan of millions of dollars.

“The alternative is cut, cut, cut or tax, tax, tax — and I don’t believe in either of those,” he said in the Oct. 11 debate.

On Dec. 15, as Justice’s transition teams met to start working on policy, a reporter asked if he still thought he could balance the budget without cutting taxes.

“You never say never, no matter what the situation might be,” Justice responded. “But I believe with all my soul, yes, I can do it.”

On Jan. 5, new Senate President Mitch Carmichael zeroed in on that part of what Justice had said and offered an enthusiastic embrace: “Senate President-elect Mitch Carmichael Endorses Governor-elect Jim Justice’s Plan for Budget Without Tax Increases.”

Two hours later, Justice’s team sent out its response: “Justice Encourages State Leaders to Avoid Partisan Posturing.”

Womp-womp.

In his farewell speech last Wednesday, departing Governor Tomblin proposed tax increases estimated to raise $270 million to close the budget gap. A day later, Justice chief of staff Nick Casey didn’t rule it out but also didn’t rule it in. 

“There are ways,” Casey said. “You can make adjustments downward and reduce your costs and not affect your revenue. You can also increase your revenues and cover your expenses. That’s a call that we’re working on now as we head into the budget. But we recognize there’s a certain preference from the Legislature that they’d like to see cuts. Cuts are necessary. We’ll have to do that to give them something to look at.”

Assessment: TBD

His people

The Justice transition team has spent the past couple of weeks steadily filling the top roles in the executive branch.

The appointees include several who have experienced success in private business but who are making their debuts in government. The new Commerce Secretary, Woody Thrasher, runs an engineering and architectural firm bearing his name. Austin Caperton, the new secretary for the Department of Environmental Protection, is an engineer and lawyer with decades of history in the coal industry.

Other appointees are familiar names. For instance, Justice appointed former first lady Gayle Manchin, the wife of Sen. Joe Manchin to be secretary for Education and the Arts. Longtime Kanawha County Commissioner Dave Hardy will be the new Revenue Secretary.

At his Dec. 15 discussion with members of the state news media, Justice said he has learned simple ways to pick good leaders during his own years as a businessman.

“Picking the right people for the right positions is just as simple as this — the right person for the right job and seeing they’re motivated,” he said. “I’ve said it over and over and over. They’ve got to work and blend with me. That’s going to be a little difficult to do. Because I’m not your normal bird as far as I do think aggressively, I’m impatient with what I do, I demand performance and I demand accomplishment.

“But I am a guy who wants to hold the rope with them and run across the finish line with them. I’m not a guy that leads from a podium or whatever.”

Casey, the chief of staff, didn’t disagree with that assessment during a Dec. 6 appearance on “Talkline” with Hoppy Kercheval.

“I think he is… I won’t say ‘demanding’ but I think he has a whole different concept on accountability,” Casey said.

Assessment: Good start

Chief executive

At the top, of course, is Justice himself.

The complication is, he’s at the top of a lot of things. With an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, Justice is West Virginia’s richest man, according to Forbes.

Justice is well-known as guy who bought The Greenbrier Resort back from its financial struggles. He also has coal, timber and agriculture holdings that went on for 97 lines on his financial disclosure form.

This could be a challenge because the resort owner will oversee the state’s Tourism industry. The coal operator will oversee the Division of Environmental Protection. You see the trend.

Even before he was elected governor, Justice’s vast coal holdings provided vast entanglements. In October, he was confronted by an NPR investigation that showed unpaid fines at Justice’s mine companies make him the nation’s top mine safety delinquent.

At the time, NPR reported, Justice’s mining companies owed $15 million in six states, including property and minerals taxes, state coal severance and withholding taxes, and federal income, excise and unemployment taxes, as well as mine safety penalties, according to county, state and federal records.

In the debates, Justice responded that times have been tough in the mining industry and he has done what he’s had to do to keep his mines open and his miners employed, rather than declaring bankruptcy as many companies have done.

“I’ll tell you what I won’t do. I didn’t declare bankruptcy, did I?” Justice said. “I won’t feel bad for a second for trying to keep people in their jobs.”

Before the election, Justice’s campaign responded to a question about how he would keep his business interests at bay by providing a statement saying Justice will work through any entanglements:

“Jim will work with experts and attorneys to do everything ethically and technically correct to avoid any conflict,” the statement said.

The campaign provided a similar statement for a story in The Charleston Gazette-Mail: “The governor-elect is meeting with a team of experts that will inform him on what he needs to do to operate in the most ethical way possible when he gets sworn in.”

Justice has named his daughter, Jill, to run The Greenbrier. His son, Jay, and son-in-law will take over his coal and agricultural businesses.

Asked about balancing the governor’s role with his business interests during the Dec. 15 conversation with reporters, Justice responded at length:

“I’m going to try to remove myself completely — in fact, I’m going to remove myself completely from the daily decisions that they make.

“But I want you to realize just this. What is the alternative? Is it best to just close the businesses that I have? They generate tens and tens of millions of dollars to our state. It would be frivolous to do that. It would be absolutely the stupidest thing in the world to do. But with my businesses being far-reaching comes knowledge that can help all of us. I don’t want a thing. Absolutely, I want to underline that. You can’t bring me anything to my business that’s going to be beneficial for me in any way. I don’t want a thing. All I want is goodness for our people and goodness for West Virginia.”

Assessment: Sounds complicated

Hoop dreams

Greenbrier East head coach Jim Justice watches a referee’s call in the state Girls’ High School Basketball Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center.

Justice does not intend to relinquish the basketball coaching duties for the girls and boys at Greenbrier East High School.

Earlier this season, he earned his 1,000th basketball coaching victory at a game attended by dignitaries including multisport phenomenon Bo Jackson.

Although the basketball season coincides with the legislative session, Justice says he can handle multitasking.

“I am going to coach this year, and we’ll see. We’ll just see,” he said when asked about his plans during one of the debates.

He said he will give both coaching and governing his all.

“I ask any of you, what have I ever done halfway? I mean, what have I ever done halfway.”

He later told The Associated Press, “Believe me, I’m not going to shirk one responsibility in the world, whether it be with the state or these kids. But my first and foremost obligation — there’s no question — is to be the governor.”

Assessment: Best of luck

Expect jokes

On Election Night, after all the state’s news outlets had declared Justice the victor, he came out to address the crowd gathered in a ballroom at The Greenbrier.

A downcast-sounding Justice started into what was, by all indications, a concession speech.

“No! Wait!” Justice said, reaching into his coat pocket for another set of papers. “That’s the wrong speech! We won!” Justice said with a grin.

Justice later told the crowd, “Let me tell you, I truly believe the good Lord gave me the ability to laugh. This journey is full of stress beyond belief. And it’s tough. I will use that ability to smile and laugh because it’ll get us through.”

Assessment: Refreshing

Expect unorthodox animal references

He has described West Virginia’s financial situation as an “18-karat dog mess.”

He called the contention that he supported fellow Democrat Barack Obama “complete dog snot.”

In a campaign ad, he said West Virginians are “so tired of the political dog snot from do-nothing politicians.”

In brushing back Mitch Carmichael last week, a Justice news release stated “Our common enemy is the financial dog’s mess we’re in.”

Assessment: Woof

In conclusion

Through his words and his track record, Justice has set expectations high. Now that he’s in office, West Virginians will want to see steady-to-rapid progress out of those “50th” rankings that are so often discussed.

In a campaign trail stop in Point Pleasant, Justice sat down with local party faithful and said he’s the man to lead West Virginia to its potential.

“If you elect another politician, you and I will both die 50th. You mark it down, that’s what will happen,” Justice said. “We’ve got a chance; we’ve got to run through the finish line. I love you, I love our state. All I want is goodness for all of us. We are the best. We don’t need to be 46th, we don’t need to be 10th. I’m like Ricky Bobby: If you’re second, you’re losing. I want all of us to be what we deserve and that’s first.”

Assessment: Time to back it up.

Double points for Ricky Bobby reference





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