CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The circuitous path toward selecting a new Kanawha County Commissioner just hit another roadblock.
The Kanawha County Commission met Thursday with the intention of deciding among three nominees for the next commissioner. The commission had received the nominees from the county Republican Executive Committee. Commission President Ben Salango was scheduled to strike one name, followed by Commissioner Natalie Tennant striking another, with the remaining name becoming commissioner.
The nominees were Jared Page, Edward Burgess, and Austin Gessel. Ten minutes before the meeting could get underway, Salango and Tennant were sent new information.
“We received letters from two of our three folks on the list,” Salango said. “Edward Burgess and Austin Gessel. Essentially, the letters say, ‘if you pick us, we’re not going to serve.'”
The search began when former commissioner Lance Wheeler resigned his seat at the end of June. He is now the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority (KCEAA) executive director. His departure was not necessarily a surprise; he announced that he would be seeking the Republican nomination for the 8th District State Senate seat in the May primary. He defeated incumbent Kevan Bartlett and Dr. Steven Eshenaur in the primary and will be opposed on November ballots by Kim Hundley.
Since Wheeler’s exit from the commission came before his term expired, the commission sought to replace him for the rest of 2026. After Wheeler didn’t seek the Republican nomination for the Kanawha County Commission seat in May, Page, St. Albans vice mayor and city councilman, secured the majority of the Republican vote. He’ll be opposed by Democratic candidate Paul Monroe on November ballots.
In the July meeting following Wheeler’s resignation, Salango motioned for Page to become the next county commissioner. Tennant did not second the motion. Thus, the process went to the county Republican Executive Committee, which announced two weeks ago that Page, Burgess, and Gessel would be the nominees.
The last-minute curveball from Burgess and Gessel, which seemingly opened the door for Page to easily move into the commissioner seat, infuriated Tennant.
“On the eleventh hour, we get these two letters that say, ‘oh, we want to manipulate the system,'” Tennant said. “‘We want to manipulate the process and force you one way or the other, Kanawha County Commission, and we’re going to dictate to you what you should do by saying ‘well, we’re not going to serve.’ What the heck?”
Tennant said the actions of the two nominees were shocking.
“I feel like this is making a mockery of the process,” Tennant declared.
Gessel is a member of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a political action group, as well as the Kanawha County Young Republicans committee. A West Virginia State University alumnus, he is AFP-WV’s Grassroots Engagement Director in the southern part of West Virginia. He also worked as a special assistant to Patrick Morrisey when the now-governor was West Virginia Attorney General.
Meanwhile, Burgess served on the Kanawha County, congressional district, and state Republican Executive Committees. He’s also run for the West Virginia House of Delegates several times.
Tennant sounded off on the letters.
“Doggone it, you’re making us look like idiots now,” Tennant said. “We’re the best commission in the state. And now you’re trying to manipulate me, and you’re trying to tell me how to play, how to do what I think is the correct thing to do?”
The work of Republican Executive Committee Chairwoman Donna Caruthers should not be ignored, Tennant said, and accused Burgess and Gessel’s letters of doing just that.
“I also know that she worked hard with her committee to get these three names,” Tennant said. “I was hopeful there would be another name on there. So, for the last two weeks, we knew that there would be three names on the list.”
Salango proposed conducting the strikes anyway “as if they hadn’t received the letters.” He crossed off Burgess’ name. Tennant crossed off Page.
That left Gessel as the commissioner to-be.
It remains to be seen whether or not Gessel will accept the seat, now that he’s been officially chosen. If Gessel declines the seat, Salango said the commission would go through the entire process with the county Republican Executive Committee once more.
The Kanawha County Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for September 17 at 4 p.m. in Charleston.