Published: May 14, 2008 01:57 am         

Laird leads in tight 11th Senate race

Bill Laird, a name almost synonymous with Fayette County government, grabbed a slim lead late Tuesday in quest of Democratic nomination for a West Virginia Senate seat in the 11th District, a post being vacated by veteran Sen. Shirley Love.

A four-term sheriff who launched his public career fully four decades ago with the Department of Corrections, the nominee was ahead of two primary rivals — longtime educator Sue Blake Andersen of Craigsville, and home builder Jerry Cook of Rainelle.

Love, also a Democrat, has held the Senate seat since 1994, when he was appointed by former Gov. Gaston Caperton to replace former Democratic Chairman Chuck Smith in a rapid shuffle that all began with the resignation of former Sen. Robert Holliday.

But with the vote-counting going at a snail’s pace in Fayette County, Laird refused to claim victory with only one-third of the precincts counted in the multi-county 11th District.

At 11:30 p.m., with 66 of the 118 precincts counted, Laird had 5,586 votes, compared to 5,387 for Andersen, while Cook was in third at 2,244.

“I think it’s still undetermined at this point,” said Laird, once the state’s liquor commissioner and budget director for the attorney general’s office.

If successful, he will face Republican nominee Aubry Wilson of Buckhannon, who ran unopposed.

Laird began his local public career in Fayette County as a magistrate in 1988, then served two successive terms as sheriff, followed by a stint in the House of Delegates, before winning two more straight terms as Fayette’s sheriff.

The 11th District consists of Fayette, Clay, Nicholas, Upshur and Webster counties.

Love broke into broadcasting at a tender age at a radio station in his native Oak Hill, then moved to the television side of the family-owned business at WOAY, gaining almost instant celebrity status by hosting a local program, “Saturday Night Wrestlin’.”

In his career in the Senate, the retiring senator has co-chaired the Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, one that became increasingly critical as the state began to grapple with overcrowding in its penal institutions, including the maximum security facility, Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County.

Love also anchored the Senate Confirmations Committee, one that at times became controversial in considering appointments governors have made to various boards and agencies.

“I am very fortunate that the good Lord gave me two careers in life — 44 years in broadcasting and another 15 years as a state senator,” he said.

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com