In his letter to the Dominion Post, Senator Jon Blair Hunter (D-Monongalia) grossly misstated the facts of the September Special Session. He chides Delegate Cindy Frich (R-Monongalia) for not understanding or knowing what happened during the session when he is the one who is fuzzy on the details.

“…Frich alludes to resolutions naming bridges as an example of resolutions taken up. However, she knows perfectly well or should know that these resolutions were defeated in the Senate for the same reason we did not act on the eminent domain resolution. They were not on the governor’s call.”

The one who does not “know perfectly well” is Senator Hunter. In a voice vote, he joined the Senate three times in passing three separate “bridge naming” resolutions (SCR 401, 403, and 404).

This fact raises an interesting conundrum. Senator Hunter admits the bridge naming resolutions were not on the Governor’s call, yet he voted for it. But then he says he voted against the food sales tax amendment and the eminent domain amendment for the sole reason that it was not on the Governor’s call. This leaves me wondering why he really voted against removing the food sales tax and against protecting West Virginia homeowners.

The duplicity does not end there. At the end of his letter, the Senator declares, “raises for agency heads did not pass.” Not only did the raises for agency heads pass, Senator Hunter voted for it. In a 26 to 8 vote (all nays were Republicans), the Senator approved raises for many in the Executive branch up to $30,000 (SB 4020).

In a strange twist, after the Senate passed the bill they had to recall it from the House because there was not a motion to suspend the rules before they voted on the bill. So they did everything over again, suspended the rules and took a second vote. Senator Hunter voted for the pay raise bill again!

Senator Hunter also voted down an amendment that said no Executive pay raises could be awarded until the food sales tax is removed.

In the same session, Senator Hunter voted against giving State Troopers a cost of living adjustment if they live in an expensive area of our state.

It is time for Senator Hunter to tell the truth. He voted for a resolution he admits was not on the Governor’s call, he voted for raises up to $30,000 for agency heads and he did not vote to protect West Virginia homeowners.

No amount of spinning will make his record go away.