A Day with Governor Joe Manchin

By Thomas Harding

9.45 am, Wellness Center, Romney.

We were all waiting for the Governor of West Virginia. There were maybe 20 of us – fitness center staff in blue polo shirts, executives in neatly pressed grey suits, a state senator in bright skirt and jacket – waiting in the concrete and steel lobby of the newly built wellness center in Romney. We were all standing, except six-term mayor William Hicks who sat in the corner, cane in hand, muttering that it was about time the governor showed up, and how he wanted the day to be soon over.

Then he arrived. The governor: olive green summer suit, yellow and green striped tie, slicked-back salt-and-pepper hair of a 1950s movie star. He stepped spryly out of a state trooper’s green Explorer, and with press officer and assistant in tow, walked through the glass sliding doors and greeted the small crowd of notables. This was the first event of the day and he was upbeat, energetic, and attentive. 

At the end of a short speech praising the multi-million dollar building, which had opened a year earlier, the governor took a piece of paper from his jacket pocket – and just as he would at every public event and campaign stop throughout the day – he read a not-entirely-pertinent quotation. Five minutes later, right on schedule, the assistant whispered something quietly in the governor’s ear. It was time to move on to the next venue.

This was stop number one. Fourteen hours, ten events and a hundred miles later, Gov. Joseph Manchin III would finish up the day at a campaign gala in Martinsburg. It was going to be a long day. 

Joe Manchin III was born on August 24, 1947 and grew up in Farmington, WVa, population of 300, situated thirty miles southwest of Morgantown. He went to public schools and played basketball and football. He won a football scholarship to WVU, but his career was cut short by a knee injury.

While he was away at college, tragedy struck: the family grocery store in Farmington burned down. Manchin returned home to help rebuild the store. To this day he refers to this event as a turning point in his life, a lesson that you can pull yourself out of adversity through combined community effort.

At WVU Manchin met his wife Gayle Conelly. They married in August 1967, and they now have three children: Heather, Joseph IV, and Brooke. They are known by their six grandchildren as “Nana” and “Dadoo”.

Manchin’s grandfather, Joe Manchin I, or “Papa” as Manchin called him, was an Italian immigrant and coalminer. In 1927 Papa Manchin was fired from his job at the Farmington mine, because he was caught organizing for the union. He tried various jobs, including circus performer, where he was known as “Nicodemus the Strong Man,” and beer garden owner — a place where poker was played in the backyard. Joe Manchin III told me, with a glint of mischievous pride in his eye, that Papa may also have sold liquor out of the back of his garage during prohibition. Papa eventually settled down and set up the grocery store. Later Joe Junior set up a furniture and carpet store next door. Both would serve terms as mayor of Farmington.

After college, Manchin worked in his grandfather’s grocery store and his father’s furniture and carpet stores in Farmington. This was where Joe III learned to be a tradesman and how to do business in small West Virginia town.

On November 20, 1968, another tragedy hit the family: a massive explosion rocked the Farmington coal mine. Manchin remembers waiting at the company store to hear the news, being frustrated at how long it took to get information. When word finally came, the news was bad: His uncle and cousin had died, along with many of his classmates. The cause of the explosion was never determined. This event became another touchstone for Manchin. During the Sago Mine disaster years later, Manchin committed to swift communication to mine families. For first time Gov. Manchin became recognized on the national stage.

In the 1970s Manchin worked in the energy sector running Enersystems, a coal brokerage in Fairmont. This fact has been airbrushed out of his official biography. You will not find it on the official bio on the Governor’s website, or that of the Democratic Party or the National Governor’s Association. Enersystems is now run by the governor’s son, Joe Manchin IV.

In 1982 Joe Manchin III was elected to the House of Delegates. Four years later he was elected to the state senate. While in the senate, Manchin’s cousin, State Treasurer A. James Manchin resigned after being threatened with impeachment for defrauding the government. Manchin remembers this period as “a very difficult time,” but he says his cousin was ultimately vindicated when he was reelected to the legislature a few years later.

In 1996 Manchin sought the Democratic nomination for governor, but lost to Charlotte Pritt. She had the support of organized labor, and successfully painted Manchin as the pro-business candidate. Pritt lost the general election to Cecil Underwood. After winning the secretary of state post in 2000, Manchin won the governorship in 2004. This time he had the support of both the unions and the business community. In his inaugural address he said:

“Well, I can tell you this much, business as usual just won’t cut it anymore. We must pursue a new and different course. The days of giving in to those who would take advantage of our state and our system of government are over. The people of this state deserve better. You deserve better.”

Four years later, on January 9, 2008, in his annual State of the State speech, Manchin touted the achievements of his administration: the lowest unemployment rates in the state’s history; a smaller government budget; a budget surplus; $300 million to upgrading water and sewer projects; and an increase in broadband access from 57 percent to 80 percent in 2008 during his term.

The governor’s supporters think he has done a great job. One such supporter is Scott Rotruck who is Vice President for Chesapeake Energy, Chair of West Virginia’s Tourism Commission – appointed by the governor – and a contributor to Manchin’s campaign.

Rotruck says Manchin’s greatest achievement was the privatization of workers compensation in his first year as governor. “It took many people to achieve, but it wouldn’t have happened without Manchin,” he said. “The governor did it by bringing everybody to the table and making a compelling argument that the state would be better off if it took this course. It showed the world that we could affect meaningful change.”  

But there many things that the governor and his supporters do not brag about.

West Virginia is the only state in the county where the death rate exceeds the birth rates. According to the 2009 West Virginia Executive Budget, a report produced annual by governor’s office, this was due to the:

“High median age, risky job mix, and low health status of many of it residents. Second, the state attracts overall about as many residents as it loses from other states (low net migration). This is related to the states relatively slow economic growth.”

Not a very happy scorecard by any measure.

But things get worse. The state has the third lowest growth rate in the country, increasing by 0.1 percent from 2006 to 2007. This is the third year of deceleration in growth in successive years, all since Manchin took office.

On education, West Virginia is one of the bottom ten states in the 2007 rankings for maths, reading, writing and science according to the US Department of Education. West Virginia has the third highest obesity rate in the nation, at 28% of the population, and ranks second in terms of diabetes, with 9.8% of the population with the disease.

On energy, while the governor has declared we must work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he is an ardent supporter of coal powered plants, one of the biggest contributors of climate changing gasses and a huge contributor to the state coffers.

As the governor says, there is much more to do.

10.40 am, Romney Senior Center, Romney.

Event number two for the governor in Romney went swimmingly. The small white meals-on-wheels truck was accepted with open arms by the volunteers at the Romney Senior Center, a one level brick building downtown. Now drivers would be able to deliver 2,000 hot meals each week to the elderly, who would be grateful for the warm grub, company, and attention. This was the first of 17 similar trucks distributed by the governor statewide from a $600,000 fund. Romney was a proud pioneer, and thankful for the governor’s largesse.

After a brief cutting of blue ribbon and more photos, the drivers were sent off with a “Now go and deliver your meals, you lazy lot”.

The elderly ladies, who had dressed up for the governor’s visit, went indoors coffee. As they watched Manchin walk boyishly into the kitchen and grab something to eat — as though he was taking something from his grandmother’s refrigerator — they giggled coyly to each other. 

After a short break it was time for event number three

Noon, Hampshire County Judicial Center, Romney

Over 300 people came out in the hot noon sun for the ribbon cutting — this time a red ribbon. Most crowded onto the sidewalk, trying to stay in the shadows of the newly built courthouse. Most were from Romney, but also present were state delegates, two sitting members of the West Virginia Supreme Court, a candidate for the Supreme Court, as well as a candidate for U.S. House of Representatives.

One local resident in red suspenders and blue train driver hat, joked, “Next time I’m here it will probably be in hand-cuffs.”

A prayer was said, the pledge of allegiance was uttered, the national anthem was sung. Then the governor was introduced to great applause. 

Manchin is clearly cherished in Romney. To the crowd’s pleasure he spoke of his love for Hampshire County, how he had visited as a boy and fished on the banks of the South Branch of the Potomac, how he and his high school teammates looked forward to an away-game in Romney as a chance to get away from Farmington, how he loved the beauty of the trees and the valleys so much that he had asked his helicopter pilot to fly low on the way in that very morning. 

At the end of his speech Manchin pulled out the creased paper from his jacket and read another quotation.

1.30 pm, Taggart Hall, Romney

One and a half hours later the governor was at another, more intimate event, this time across the street at a beautifully restored 18th century building. In a small low-ceilinged room toward the back of the building, Manchin surprised 86 year-year-old Mary Susan Williams by giving her the 35th Star, West Virginia’s highest honor. After a few words – this time without a quotation from his cheat sheet – Manchin sat down. With Williams’ family gathered around in their Sunday best, she told stories of 1963, when Joe had stayed with her while visiting Romney for a football game.

“I remembered that he was Catholic, but I had made a ham for dinner,” she said smiling, her hand patting the Manchin’s knee. “It was a Friday night, so I asked him if he would like to eat fish. Joe says, ‘I’ll eat it … if you make it.’ He was sooo polite. He didn’t like to eat fish you see!” Everyone laughed.

Manchin looked at her with delight. He said, “That’s true,” and went on to tell the group that after the football game, which his team lost, his teammates and residents did the snake-dance through the streets of Romney. Manchin was clearly having fun, charming all those around.

I asked the governor’s assistant if it was always like this, with the governor jumping from one event to the next through an over-packed schedule that ground on from dawn to dusk. “Yes,” she said. “He works 14, 15, 16 hours a day. He likes it. That is why he does it. It would be too tiring to do it all if he didn’t enjoy it.”

Manchin later explained how he pulls it off. “People give me energy. I have to get out of the office. It’s the only way to see what is really going on. You meet people face to face. You ask them questions. This is where the rubber hits the road.”

2.00 pm, Unscheduled meeting with protestors, Romney

During his speech outside the judicial center in Romney, Manchin was interrupted twice by hecklers shouting questions about the PATH high-powered transmission line that is planned to crisscross the state from St. Albans in the southwest to Jefferson County in northeast. Both times Manchin stopped and told the protesters he would speak to the “concerned citizen” after his speech, and after the tour of the building.

The governor did meet with the protestors as he had promised, one hour later in a private session with only his press secretary and state trooper nearby. One of the protesters was Ralph Wojtowicz, a financial consultant who recently moved from Northern Virginia with his wife and baby twins to a new $600,000 home in Yellowspring, W.Va. Wojtowicz said he was impressed that the governor met with him, but he was not satisfied with Manchin’s answers. The governor had said the best he could offer was to raise taxes on Alleghany Power, and call for lower electricity prices for consumers. Manchin said he could do nothing to stop the actual transmission lines being built.

I asked Manchin about the PATH proposal. He said that he had looked into the project a year ago, when, he said, he had been told the lines would prevent rolling blackouts on the East Coast. He said he had not been “in the loop” since then. He appeared skeptical of the project, saying that if it was not good for West Virginia he would not support it.

A letter Manchin wrote October 3, 2006 contradicts his claim. Manchin supported the project in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, writing that he “supported” the PATH project and “encouraged” the secretary to proceed with it as planned.

Wojtowicz is not the only person unhappy with Manchin’s role in the transmission line. Delegate Stan Shaver, Democrat, whose 46 district would be bisected by the transmission lines, had this to say in an email to a resident about Manchin: 

This is typical of how Manchin operates.  He negotiated with the power companies (behind closed doors) to offer consessions [sic] to landowners after all the public hearings were over, but the PSC had not made a ruleing [sic]. The PSC is worthless in WV. How can 99% of the people at these public hearing be opposed to something and the PSC pass it anyway.

Shaver told The Observer how frustrated he was with the process. “I know that the governor is supportive of taxation, but that will not help the landowner. The money will just go into the state’s general fund.” Instead, Shaver said, just as oil and gas companies pay royalties to landowners, he wanted to see the power companies pay royalties to landowners for the amount of electricity that runs through their land. He admitted, however, this was unlikely to happen. So far Manchin has not publicly supported such a proposal.

2.30 pm, Interview with The Observer, Romney

The governor was late. The meeting with the protestors had thrown him off schedule. He apologized as he came into the room, saying that he had been on the phone to Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia. The same Tim Kaine who Manchin had publically supported as Barrack Obama’s vice-presidential running mate, before Joe Biden was chosen for the ticket.

I asked the governor about Barrack Obama and the primary campaign. Manchin accepted that Obama had been trounced by Clinton in West Virginia, but he didn’t think this was anything to do with the color of skin. “I don’t accept or believe race played a part in it any more in the country,” he said.  When I reminded him of the poll that showed that one in five voters in West Virginia affirmed that race was a factor in their decision-making, Manchin added “Maybe west Virginias were more honest about it.”

Manchin told me that he doesn’t agree with Obama on all the issues, in particular he differs with Obama on social issues: Manchin opposes gun control, abortion and same sex marriage. The governor waived off these differences saying that they are politically irrelevant. Without irony, he argued that social policy did not change significantly under President Bush – who appointed two right-leaning justices to the US Supreme Court and who then proceeded with countless socially conservative decisions – and that it therefore does not matter if you elect a President whose social values you don’t agree with.

Obama was running at least five points behind in the polls in WVa. To win, Manchin said, Obama needed to visit West Virginia more frequently. “The average person, they know me, I’ve been here, I am comfortable with them, they are comfortable with me, when I walk down the street they shake me by the hand. The same is true of Bill Clinton. To win, Obama must be the same. He hasn’t spent the time here.” The Governor told me that he had spoken directly to Barrack Obama encouraging him to come more often to West Virginia. So far the request had not been satisfied.

The assistant in the black nylon dress stepped in, it was time to wrap up my conversation with the governor, “They have been waiting for quite some time”, she said. The governor stood up and walked to his next event.

3.00 pm, Opening the County Heritage Days Festival, Taggart Hall, Romney

There were maybe twenty people standing inside the band-stand next to Taggart Hall. Many were the same people who I’d seen at the other events. It was at ninety-five degrees with high humidity. People waived their hats to stay cool. The assistant and the governor’s security man retreated to the shadow of a nearby oak tree.

The governor congratulated the gathered citizens on the work they were doing, announced the opening of the festival, and once more, took out his sheet of paper with quotations and shared an axiomatic gem with the crowd.

What the governor didn’t talk about was the heat he was getting back in Charleston for stepping into the hottest legal case currently before the state’s Supreme Court. In July 2007 a jury in Harrison County, W.Va., awarded $382 million to thousands of residents of Spelter in a civil case against DuPont. The verdict found that DuPont had significantly damaged the health of Spelter residents by dumping zinc, cadmium, arsenic, and lead from mining operations there. They had been complaining since the early 1920s, and finally their complaints had been heard.

DuPont petitioned the West Virginia Supreme Court to hear its appeal on the case. Unlike many other states which have an intermediate court, there is no automatic right to appeal in civil cases to a higher court. As with the U.S. Supreme Court, a defendant must petition the court to review their case. The court has discretion about which cases it hears.

The same day DuPont filed its appeal, Governor Manchin filed an amicus brief encouraging the Supreme Court to take the case. This was the first time in West Virginia history that a governor interceded in a case to which the state was not a party.

Reacting to criticism against him for stepping into this case, Manchin has said he is not taking sides in the case. He has claimed he wants to ensure that cases involving punitive damages receive a full airing from the Supreme Court, and that he was not weighing in on behalf of DuPont.

But when I spoke with him, Manchin admitted that he became involved with the case because he was concerned that if DuPont lost then it would deter other businesses from investing in the state. “I am worried about people exiting faster than they are talking about leaving. I have whole industries [leaving]. They don’t know what their liabilities are and what they are subjected to. They don’t know if they will get due process. I want to make citizens protected, but the bottom line is same just as I want citizen to have due process I want it to be fair for everybody.”

Attorney General Darrell McGraw has not filed an amicus brief on this case. In an interview with The Observer, McGraw said that like the governor, he had been intensely pressured to file an amicus brief by friends, politicians, and businesses. He said that he resisted because he had seen for himself the situation in Spelter. McGraw described the governor’s intervention in the case as “highly unusual.”  He added that the governor’s admission that he filed the amicus brief in order to promote the business environment was “more accurate” than his assertion that he acted in order to preserve due process.

The case has drawn attention from outside the state. Reporters for the New York Times revealed that Manchin’s secretary had been a community outreach officer for DuPont in Spelter. Manchin’s lawyer had also worked for DuPont. Manchin has said his intervention in the case had nothing to do with either staff member.

Manchin’s critics say the DuPont case is another example of the governor’s cozy relationship with big business at the expense of ordinary people. His supporters, like Scott Rotruck of Chesapeake Energy, say that the governor made the right move because these types of cases with high punitive damages are “perceived as deterrents to business”.

4.00 pm, Marios Restaurant, Romney

Finally, the governor gets to eat. Marios is a small haven of Italian linguini and antipasto, tucked into a little park opposite the new judicial center in Romney. It is easy to imagine that the tastes and the smells were a coming home for the head of West Virginias First Italian Family.  But as with all families, there are times when they bring joy and times when they bring heart-ache.

In 2007 Manchin’s governor’s daughter, Heather Bresch, was awarded an M.B.A. from West Virginia University, despite having completed only 22 of the required 48 credits. In April 2008, following investigative reporting by the Pittsburgh Gazette, W.V.U. rescinded Bresch’s degree.

In a press statement issued May 19, 2008, Manchin said, “It has been extremely difficult for me to watch this controversy unfold.” He added, “At no time would she have asked anyone to either ‘guess’ as to her records or to fabricate grades on those records. As a result, Gayle and I are both angry, in particular, at the fabrication of grades that took place, because it unfairly damages our daughter’s reputation as much as it does the University’s. It was absolutely wrong and, in my mind, completely unacceptable.”

By summer 2008 the provost, dean, and, eventually, the President of W.V.U., Mike Garrison, had all resigned in direct response to this affair. Some wondered Manchin had influenced the decision of W.V.U. or its subsequent investigation.

Bresch is chief operating officer of Mylan Industries, whose C.E.O. is a close friend of Manchin, and who has contributed large amounts of money to Manchin’s campaigns and W.V.U. In various public statements Manchin has said that he did not influence the university’s administration in any way.

By September 2008 the scandal had grown. A Special Investigations Committee of the Legislature was asked to investigate whether W.V.U. or its staff had committed criminal wrongdoing. The proceedings of this committee are private, and will likely take many months to complete. Its report will not be released until after the November elections, in which Manchin is running for reelection.

Jonathan Miller, a Republican Berkeley County delegate to the state house, told The Observer that he was glad that the committee was created, but was concerned about its secrecy. “It is still behind closed doors,” he said. “This investigation should be carried out along with the Judicial Committee, which would be open, allowing people to follow what was happening.”

Delegate Miller also criticized Manchin’s candor in this affair. “I know that the governor has been adamant that he was not involved,” said Miller. “But he needs to provide an alibi. He has yet to give all the information on this matter. If I were in the governor’s shoes, I would try and remove all doubt. I would release all email and phone records during the time period of the Bresch scandal. I would remove any doubt that I had any connection or contact with the administration of W.V.U. or President Mike Garrison. This has yet to happen.”

7.00 pm, Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Martinsburg

The Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Martinsburg is wrapping up. The governor looks tired. Once more he raises his eyes towards the flag as someone sings the national anthem. Once more he places his hand over his heart as the pledged his allegiance is recited. But he looks far less committed to the proceedings than at the start of the day, less certain, more eager to be done with the pomp and ceremony.

Few doubt that Manchin will be re-elected as governor for four more years. Governor Manchin has over 2 million dollars in his election coffers while his opponent, Russ Weeks, has less than $15,000.  Even Russ Weeks’ campaign advisor Gary Abernathy admits that Weeks faces ‘a big challenge’.

Manchin will be 65 at the end his second term. Currently he is chair of the Democratic Governors Association and the Southern Governors’ Association; he’s also president-elect of the Council of State Governments. But approaching 70 years of age after his term, will he take the leap into national politics?

Over the years many journalists have Manchin how he would respond if octogenarian Senator Robert C. Byrd were to die while Manchin was governor — it would be Manchin’s responsibility to name a successor. When I asked him, Manchin gave his stock answer that he would chose the best candidate to replace the Senator. However, he added something new. For the first time, when asked if he would he consider appointing himself, the Manchin said, “No. I would not appoint myself. I do not believe in that.”

Right now Manchin’s focus is on his reelection campaign. In Martinsburg, for one final time on this long day, finally, the governor stands and addresses the crowd in his now-crumpled suit. He repeats many of the lines I have heard all day: “While West Virginians may not rank highest in terms of educational qualifications, they are top of the list when it comes to a Ph.D. in life,” and, “Vote for me for what I will do in the next four years, not what I have done in the past four years,” and, “I’m more proud of you than you are of yourselves.”

At the end of the speech, he takes the now creased paper from his jacket, and reads one last quotation. The crowd applauds politely. They too are eager to wrap the day up. They too have had a full day’s work, and are already thinking about the next.

Joe Manchin III sits down. He drops his head a bit, looking weary. Tomorrow will see another ribbon-cutting at a judicial center, this time in Berkeley Springs, and the opening of a new hotel at the racetrack in Charles Town. 

It has been a long day for the governor of the great state of West Virginia. Tomorrow is likely to be another.