UPDATE: (Thursday, May 30, 2:00 p.m.) – The Kanawha County Commission has announced its intent to appoint attorney Marc Slotnick to the vacant seat on the commission.
According to Commissioners Ben Salango and Lance Wheeler, Slotnick has 32 years of experience with the Commission, starting as a law clerk and later working his way up to become a district attorney.
Commissioners said that after reviewing all seven resumes, they and County Supervisor Jennifer Herrald are convinced that Slotnick is an excellent choice to serve the remainder of Kent Carper’s term.
According to the commission, Slotnick graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1991 and is an attorney at Bailey & Slotnick PLLC.
KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – One of seven qualified candidates will become Kanawha County’s next commissioner on Thursday night.
The fresh candidate will fill the seat of former Commissioner Kent Carper, who announced his resignation on May 10, effective Sunday, May 12. Although his name was on the ballot for the May primary, Carper also announced he would not seek re-election if he won the election. He was defeated in the primary by former Secretary of State Natalie Tennant.
According to Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango, other candidates also applied for the position but did not meet the requirements: They had to be Democrats and live in Magistrate Districts 1 or 3.
The seven candidates between which Commissioner Salango and Commission President Lance Wheeler must choose include:
- Richard DaughertyExecutive Director of Kanawha Valley Fellowship Home
- Chris NegleyLawyer
- Larry RoweHouse of Representatives
- Michael ScarberrySubstation Technician for IBEW Local 317
- Marc Slotnick, Lawyer
- Richard SymnsTeacher and firefighter at Kanawha County Schools
- Natalie Tennantformer Foreign Minister
The special meeting of the Commission to fill the seat is scheduled for this evening, Thursday, May 30, at 5 p.m.
If the two commissioners cannot agree on a candidate at the meeting, Salango said the Democratic Executive Committee will come up with three names. Then he and Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler can each eliminate one name, and the last name on the list will be appointed.
“We want someone who can hit the ground running, someone who doesn’t have to learn the position,” Salango told 13 News earlier this week. “By the time they figure out where the office supplies are, their tenure is over. So we need to make sure we have someone who can hit the ground running.”
Whoever is elected will serve until the end of the year, finishing out Carper’s term. Then the winner of the November election, either Democratic candidate Natalie Tennant or Republican candidate Chris Walters, will take over and begin a six-year term.
“It’s been a tough year. It’s been a tough year for the Commission. It’s been a tough year for our people. They want stability. They want to put everything behind them and look forward,” Salango said. “I’m eager to look forward and put all this behind us.”
The last county commissioner appointed to serve the remainder of his term was Salango in 2017. He was appointed to temporarily fill the seat of former Commissioner Dave Hardy when he became Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Revenue.
