The chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court believes there is a spirit of cooperation in Charleston which hasn’t been there in some time.
“What I’m getting from the executive branch and the legislative branch is a spirit of bipartisanism,” Brent Benjamin said earlier this week on MetroNews Talkline. “I think it’s not only to get things done, but to show Washington how to do it.”
Benjamin participated in swearing-in ceremonies during inauguration day on Monday and also swore in members of the state Senate last week
While Washington broils in bitterness over partisan politics, Benjamin says he believes away from Washington, West Virginia’s delegation to Capitol Hill is conducting itself in a spirit intended in a true democracy.
“We’re very fortunate in that while there’s a disparity of political views in our delegation to Congress they all get along,” he said. “They’re very respectful of each other and they don’t talk out about each other. You can’t say that about other states.”
Benjamin believes lawmakers at the local level are forced to work together because there is far more accountability among voters.
“Statewide office holders and legislators have to be out with the people. They actually live there and go shopping there,” Benjamin said. “I think there’s an accountability there that is much more on a day-to-day basis.”