West Virginia Governor Faces Scrutiny Over His Telecommuting
The West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston. Shutterstock
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | All-America City winners named … N.Y. speed cameras … Ohio hepatitis A outbreak … and a brothel battle in Nevada
Here are state and local government news stories that caught Route Fifty’s attention.
- Charleston, West Virginia: Gov. Jim Justice does not live in West Virginia’s state capital. He lives 110 miles away in Greenbrier County and argues telecommuting saves the state money. But “that does not mitigate the legal issue of his residence,” which under the West Virginia Constitution, mandates that the governor “reside at the seat of government during their terms of office, keep their public records, books and papers pertaining to their respective offices, and shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by law.” Criticism about the governor’s telecommuting habits “really gets under Justice’s skin.” Adding to Justice’s irritation: State Del. Isaac Sponaugle has filed a lawsuit that would force the governor to move to Charleston. [WV MetroNews]
- New York City, New York: Speaking at a rally in Union Square on Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio called members of the State Senate to renew a street safety program that authorizes speed enforcement cameras near schools after lawmakers failed to do so last week. “This one’s a no-brainer—the Republican majority in the State Senate has a simple job to do and they didn’t do it,” the Democratic mayor said. Facing scrutiny from local officials and traffic safety advocates, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he’s open to calling the state legislature back to Albany into a special session to address the matter. [New York Post; Politico New York]
- Denver, Colorado: The National Civic League on Sunday announced 10 winning cities from this year’s All-America City Award program. “Each of the winning communities demonstrated civic engagement practices that are inspirational, inclusive and promising in their ability to unite members of the community to collectively and collaboratively help solve our country’s most pressing and complex issues,” according to the NCL. This year’s winning cities are Charlotte, North Carolina; Decatur, Georgia; El Paso, Texas; Kershaw County, South Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Longmont, Colorado; Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; Springdale, Arkansas; and Stockton, California. [National Civic League; KVIA]
ELSEWHERE …
- Columbus, Ohio: Hepatitis A outbreak spreads to Ohio. [WCPO]
- Dallas, Texas: When will North Texas' booming economy come crashing down? Here's what history says. [Dallas Morning News]
- St. Louis, Missouri: Opioid-related deaths in St. Louis region rose again in 2017. [St. Louis Public Radio]
- Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa governor issues disaster proclamations in wake of flooding. [WOWT]
- Nye County, Nevada: Pro-brothel group urges Nye County not to sign petition, all in the name of freedom. [The Nevada Independent]
- Boise, Idaho: More teens in Mountain West brought weapons to school than nationwide average. [Boise State Public Radio]
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: Sides in Minneapolis' plan for density get hot under the collar. [Star Tribune]
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Penn dedicates police emergency drop-off lane for gunshot victims [The Inquirer / Philly.com]
- Fairbanks, Alaska: Warming in the north continues as predicted. [Anchorage Daily News]
- Honolulu, Hawaii: A ‘slap on the wrist’ for the Diamond Head hawker. [Honolulu Civil Beat]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive's Route Fifty and is based in Seattle.
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