Gazette-Mail. June 4, 2024.
Editorial: Manchin’s switch to independent gets a shrug
Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he left the Democratic Party, switching his affiliation to independent, to very little public reaction or fanfare.
Perhaps it’s because rumors of the centrist Manchin going independent date back at least two years or so, even before fellow centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema left the Democrats to become an independent. Or maybe the lack of shockwaves has more to do with timing. Manchin made the announcement the same day that a jury in New York convicted former president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — another first for U.S. history and the former commander in chief.
Plus, it’s unlikely (although not entirely out of the question) that this means anything for the current election cycle. Manchin already announced that he’s not seeking reelection in the U.S. Senate and, just a few days prior to announcing his party switch, endorsed Democrat and old friend Steve Williams in the state governor’s race.
Manchin also squelched rumors of a presidential bit on a third-party ticket back in February.
MetroNews “Talkline” host Hoppy Kercheval mentioned that the timing of the switch is significant because Manchin could still get on the West Virginia ballot for a variety of offices, as long as he collects enough petition signatures before Aug. 1. Again, it seems unlikely that’s what Manchin is up to, although no one can say that with 100% certainty.
The move is significant in that it solidifies the changing of the guard in the West Virginia Democratic Party, which often was informally referred to as the “Party of Manchin” during his time as governor and in the Senate.
Under previous party leadership, West Virginia went from a blue state to deep red. In 2014, the Democratic Party lost a majority it had held in the state Legislature for 83 years. Jim Justice, Manchin’s recruit for governor in 2016, switched to the Republican Party eight months into his first term. In 2020, Republicans gained supermajority control in both chambers of the Legislature and now occupy all state constitutional offices.
Justice is likely to succeed Manchin in the Senate, meaning Republicans, barring a shocking defeat in either of the two U.S. House races, will hold all of the state’s congressional posts.
Democrats are trying to rebuild against a stiff tide, with only 11 seats out of 100 in the House of Delegates and a mere three in the 37-seat Senate. Now, not even Manchin, who was unquestionably the most powerful vote in the U.S. Senate from 2020 to 2022, ranks among their numbers.
Manchin, meanwhile, is likely positioning himself for something else down the road, although what that might be only he knows. He rarely does anything for no reason, and his motives likely will become clear soon enough.
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Parkersburg News and Sentinel. June 1, 2024.
Editorial: Wing 2 Wing: Music education is important
Because of partners such as the Save the Music and Wing 2 Wing foundations, every middle school in West Virginia will have received free musical instruments by 2027.
Residents who grew up during an era where most middle and even some elementary schools found ways to bring hands-on musical education to students might be surprised to learn it’s been lacking. But it has taken millions of dollars contributed to the state Department of Arts, Culture and History for such programs to make a come-back.
Most recently, Wing 2 Wing, through its partnership with Save the Music, donated $280,000. So far, money from the program, founded by Marshall University President Brad Smith and wife Alys Smith, has given $40,000 worth of free instruments to each of 156 schools.
“That is $6,240,000. We still have a few schools left to do,” said DACH Secretary Randall Reid-Smith, according to a report by WV MetroNews. “We will be able to hit 14 more schools and then we’ll end up with a total of 180 schools.”
Middle schools in Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, Marion, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Pocahontas, Roane and Wyoming counties are on the list for 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Forget about the pride and accomplishment of learning to play a musical instrument or the unlocking of artistic expression that comes with being part of a music program, education research shows music education enhances other skills and enhances learning in all subjects.
“Music learning supports all learning,” Kenneth Guilmartin, cofounder of Music Together, told PBS Kids.
In a state where we are perpetually dead last in educational performance — and where we are in desperate need of creative, well-educated, critically thinking young people to lead us into a brighter future — adding such a boost to their educational experience is essential.
But while Save the Music’s mission is perhaps well-known, Wing 2 Wing has gained less attention. The Smiths’ Wing 2 Wing Foundation is “focused on changing (the unequal distribution of opportunity in West Virginia) through its support and investments in education, entrepreneurship and the environment.”
Understanding the critical role access to music education plays in achieving that goal is admirable, and a generation of Mountain State students will no doubt benefit from it. And when they thrive so will we all.
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The Intelligencer. June 4, 2024.
Editorial: Accountability Is Needed in W.Va.
While state officials are bending over backward to protect themselves — rather than the children in their care — the former deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is speaking out.
“There is just not enough transparency in the system to fill some level of assurance that while tragedies will always happen, at least we did our best as a state and a government to address them,” Jeremiah Samples said during testimony in a class action lawsuit involving the state’s foster care system. “And I don’t believe we are at that stage right now.”
Samples was fired by former cabinet secretary Bill Crouch in 2022 over policy disagreements.
Regarding the intentional veiling of whether Child Protective Services had any involvement with the case of a 14-year-old girl before she was found dead in Boone County earlier this year, Samples said: “…There are other cases like that — heinous things. … I mean, there’s a lack of clarity frankly that how would we know, you know, in my official position or how would the public know?”
Exactly.
Department of Human Services Secretary Cynthia Persily insists she is protected by the law from giving information that would help prevent such a tragedy. Even the federal government does not interpret the same law in that way. But for Persily and the attorneys advising her department, it is serving the purpose of keeping the public from finding out whether more could have been done — or if mistakes were made.
Their opacity certainly does nothing to protect children. But they know that.
Samples also alleged DoHS was not providing the information needed by the Foster Care Ombudsman’s Office to help receive, investigate, and resolve complaints on the ombudsman’s own authority regarding children subject to abuse and neglect and children who have died.
“We thought we had fixed the issue, but then it became apparent in late 2023 … it may have been early 2024, that this information was still not being provided,” Samples testified. “And in those latter conversations (with the Foster Care Ombudsman’s Office) specifically, it was mentioned that Ms. (Cammie) Chapman was a barrier to that … It was relayed that it was the interpretation of the department and Ms. Chapman that the ombudsman would not have access to that information.”
While Persily is cabinet secretary for DoHS, Chapman is deputy secretary of children and adult services. Both appear to believe what happens under their direction is no one else’s business.
But truly protecting West Virginia’s most vulnerable kids is everyone’s business.
” … I believe that the policy fix is really … around accountability and transparency as opposed to any specific lever that could be pulled that would magically fix the system,” Samples testified. “It doesn’t matter what policies you try, A, B, or C. If you have transparency and accountability, then you can course correct as appropriate quickly.”
It’s that simple. Lawmakers and taxpayers have to ask themselves, why on earth don’t DoHS officials want that?
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