The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

January 4, 2013

Tolliver appears destined for commission presidency

Raleigh County

By Mannix Porterfield Register-Herald Reporter

For the first time in history, Republicans wield the majority on the three-member Raleigh County Commission, and that means a big change is coming next week — Dave Tolliver is destined to serve as president.

Nothing is official until the formal vote comes off Tuesday at the commission’s organizational meeting, but with the Republicans occupying two of the seats, the outcome is certain.

All three commissioners met Friday to discuss protocol for the coming year and changes that are in the works.

Tolliver described the get-together as amicable and said he and Commissioners Pat Reed and Linda Epling covered much ground.

“Tuesday, there are going to be some announcements,” he said, without tipping his hand.

“There are going to be some changes. We just had a get-acquainted meeting with each other and went over some things we’d like to change. It was an excellent meeting. We expressed some changes we would like to see made. We just discussed them. It went really well.”

Reed is a long-time commissioner and now the lone Democrat, while Epling, the other Republican, won the post in the November general election in a race against Democratic rival Sherrie Hunter.

Tolliver vowed that partisanship wouldn’t become a hallmark of the new commission, once it settles down to business.

“My greatest desire is for communications, that everybody, all three of us, will know exactly what’s going on,” he said.

“Whether we all agree on something, at least everyone will know what’s going on. Communications between the commissioners hopefully will be glad. Obviously, we’re not going to agree on everything. You can disagree but don’t be disagreeable.”

Epling succeeds Democrat John Aliff, who decided against seeking re-election last year after a 12-year tenure to attend to his wife’s medical needs.

Tolliver was elected in 2010, defeating incumbent Democrat John Humphrey, who then was hired as the county administrator.

Since his arrival, Tolliver has been an outspoken commissioner.

“In two years I’ve been here, a lot of things have come up and I have expressed my opinion on several things I didn’t think were appropriately done,” he said.

“But they passed, so you go on.”

Tolliver said his main goal is that the commission be good stewards of the citizens’ money.

“Obviously, you’re not going to satisfy everyone,” he said.

“But you do what you feel is the best and vote the way you feel. I’m sure somewhere down the road there’ll be some disagreement.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com

 

Text Only
Today's Front Page
  • powerball Drawing tonight

    With an estimated Powerball Jackpot of $600 million, the largest prize in the game’s history and the world’s second largest lottery prize, many local residents are dreaming of how they would spend their fortune if they were to strike it rich.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • Details still ‘sketchy’ concerning shutdown of cardiac stent procedures at RGH

     The four-day suspension of heart stent procedures at Raleigh General Hospital due to an “unexpected availability of physician coverage” and without further explanation has left more questions than answers, answers that, according to hospital spokesman and Director of Marketing Kevin McGraw, will not be available until at least Monday.

    May 18, 2013

  • ticket 2013 Click-it Or Ticket campaign starts today

    Beckley Police Lt. Paul Blume wants to let motorists know that if they get pulled over in the Beckley area today, they’re getting a ticket.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • grad An Eye Toward the Future

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • RGH suspends heart stent procedures until Monday

     Officials at Raleigh General Hospital issued a statement late Thursday afternoon indicating that “due to the unexpected unavailability of physician coverage,” cardiac stent procedures won’t be available to area residents at the Beckley facility until Monday, May 20.
     No other details were provided by hospital officials.
     Interventional cardiac care procedures were launched at RGH in November 2009 to serve a growing need for angioplasty lab services in Southern West Virginia.
     

    May 16, 2013

  • Thompson to depart house speaker post

    Rick Thompson is abandoning his post as speaker of the House of Delegates to accept a cabinet-level job in the Tomblin administration as head of the Department of Veterans Assistance.
    Thompson’s departure is likely to trigger a scramble to succeed him as speaker, with a number of Democrats expected to jockey for the post.

    May 16, 2013

  • No Powerball winner; jackpot soars to $475 million

    The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $475 million after no tickets matched the winning numbers in the latest drawing.

    May 16, 2013

  • W.Va. House speaker to take Cabinet post

    Sources tell The Associated Press that House Speaker Richard Thompson is leaving the Legislature to join Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s Cabinet.

    May 16, 2013

  • At least 6 confirmed dead in Texas tornadoes

    A rash of tornados slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes, threw trailers onto cars.

    May 16, 2013

  • 051613 1A1 News FOP 1.jpg THIN BLUE LINE — National Peace Officers Memorial Day observed

    Police and community members took time Wednesday to pause and memorialize.
    “These are men and women who had a calling for peace in a world full of darkness, those who chose to represent a thin blue line that runs through that darkness,” Lt. R.S. Prince of the Oak Hill Police Department, who served as master of ceremonies, told the gathered crowd.

    May 16, 2013 2 Photos