Henley also carefully shielded his business partner, Sen. McCabe, D-Kanawha, by omitting reference to him in his letter to the editor (DP-Sept. 28).
It's doubtful Henley truly wants to speak with me since he stated I am only trying to promote myself. Maybe he fails to understand I am trying to protect the taxpayers from those willing to use their political influence to line their pockets and their friend's pockets with your money. The $1 million the Legislature voted to give his project in this year's regular legislative session added to another $2 million in pork that the September special session allocated would fund an annual experience increment for university faculty statewide. Faculty are the only state employees who do not receive an AEI pay, and could use this money too.
If representatives of McCabe Henley properties are sincere that legislators need to be better informed about the public financing of Stonewall Jackson Resort, then perhaps I can arrange for him to appear before the House Republican Caucus before the next bailout, just as the governor's office came before us to ask us to vote for this bail out. Despite his comment that Stonewall has had bipartisan support, House Republicans overwhelmingly voted against this bailout
The information I repeated about the McCabe Henley project came from a representative of Gov. Joe Manchin less than an hour before we were to vote on the issue.
He encouraged Republican delegates to vote for the first $1 million installment of a bailout of the interest payments on the bonds the project cannot pay.
However, he did not tell us the bonds were private obligations, not responsibilities of the state. He led us to believe otherwise. I learned later from the Senate Finance Committee chairman's statements these were not state obligations.
The rest of my information came from the House floor. A delegate from the impacted area confirmed my statement the federal government forgave the project $15 million. Other information came from the House Finance chairman in response to my questions.
It is important for Henley and readers to note that prying accurate information out of the House Finance chairman is difficult.
During the latest special session, I made several attempts at asking the House Finance chairman directly how $2 million in local economic development assistance money was going to be spent.
He clearly stated he did not know. Within hours after the bill passed the House, legislators learned that almost half of the money was earmarked for a project in his district, likely to bear his name.
Henley's statement in his letter confirms what I stated on the floor of the House of Delegates. The taxpayers of West Virginia had already given the project $23 million.
The House Finance chairman denied this amount, quoting a significantly lower figure. In my letter, I deferred to the Finance chairman's misleading information.
Henley is correct that legislators need more information when it comes to spending taxpayers' money. We need to demand more information for all issues upon which we cast our vote.
That will never happen when the ruling party legislators continue to vote as they are told by their leadership.
Despite Henley's lack of effort in contacting me, if he is sincere in his desire to provide me with information, I am ready to listen. There are a few questions I have been pondering.
How many hundreds of millions of state and federal taxpayer money has gone to McCabe Henley projects in West Virginia? How many family homes have been seized by the government for McCabe Henley projects? I have the same questions regarding the nonprofit Vandalia organization in which Sen. McCabe is involved.
In addition, is the publicly/privately financed Stonewall Resort's inability to compete as a viable business, one of the reasons that the governor has urged state agencies to not book conferences at private resorts, but instead patronize publically financed resorts?
As Manchin's spokeswoman, Lara Ramsburg, put it, because "the state's needs come first." I disagree.
If he would like to continue his conversation in such a public manner, that's fine with me.
If not, I am willing to speak with him privately. I can be reached by phone at 599-1309.