CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Staffers who formerly worked in the office of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd are defending what they say are the values for which he stood in representing West Virginia. The handful of staffers gathered in the Capitol Rotunda Thursday to protest legislation which would remove Byrd’s likeness from its place of prominence.
There are four recessed chambers in the Upper Rotunda of the State Capitol building, but Byrd’s is the only statue located there. Wood County Senator Mike Azinger has introduced legislation to replace the statue of Byrd and fill the four recessed areas with statues of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, and Arthur I. Boreman.
“Yes, it’s a statue of Senator Robert C. Byrd who grew up in Raleigh County, but we see it as more than that. It’s emblematic of the ideals and principles that he stood for,” said Mark Ferrell, a former Press Secretary for Byrd.
The group said despite fierce philosophical differences with many during his time in office, he championed the Constitution, working across the aisle, and reaching compromises for the betterment of the nation as well as West Virginia.
“Our reason for being here today is not overtly partisan, it’s just to remind people of those ideals Senator Byrd championed,” said Ferrell. “Like the rule of law, three separate, but equal branches of government, decorum, civility, consensus building, and compromise.”