Accountability needed to keep state of emergency from being another disaster

When West Virginia is under a state of emergency, a light is turned on at the very top of the Capitol dome in Charleston, W.Va. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography)

The most automatic of government functions, both in practical application by elected officials and the electoral population having faith in it being implemented properly, should be a state of emergency declaration. But with the current history of West Virginia government responses to any crisis, the automatic reaction to such a declaration is becoming, “Wonder if the money will get where it is supposed to go this time?”

Drought is the pressing need of the moment in West Virginia. Parts of Mingo, Wayne and Cabell counties are categorized as “abnormally dry” but the other 52 counties are all falling somewhere between “moderate drought,” “severe drought” and “extreme drought” on the NCEI/NOAA Drought Monitor. The Eastern Panhandle is especially struggling, with all of the “extreme drought” areas falling on West Virginia’s eastern reaches.

In the statement accompanying the emergency declaration for all 55 counties in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice specifically cited relief for farmers. “We cannot and will not stand by and watch our hardworking farmers suffer from this severe lack of rain,” the statement read. “We understand the immense stress and hardship this drought has caused.”

Justice knows a great deal about farming. While his ownership of The Greenbrier and coal-related holdings garners most of the attention, Justice has vast agricultural concerns that are large parts of his family businesses and personal wealth. His official state biography explains “Gov. Justice is the largest farmer east of the Mississippi River” (without specifying if meaning acres, production or the governor’s official 6 foot 8 and 368 pounds tale-of-the-tape), while also extolling his seven national corn growing championships and 50,000 acres of crops across four states.

A pressing, emergent issue that is within the purview of the government to step in and provide relief, focused on an economic sector our elected governor has proven real world expertise in. A state of emergency declaration should be automatic: announcement, headline, action, results. Automatic for the people. Or should be.

West Virginians cannot, and should not, take such things for granted, and a string of recent events reveals why.

The main tool of a state of emergency declaration is the ability to access and move around funding otherwise constrained or tabbed for other things. In theory, the idea is faster movement outside the usual appropriation process from the state and less red tape getting that help to the citizen recipients. In practice, emergency nomenclature does not change the fact that public money being moved around needs to be accounted for, tracked, and explained to the taxpayers in a prompt and satisfactory manner.

The state of West Virginia and its elected leadership does not have a track record of funds going where they are supposed to go in situations — emergency or otherwise — to take any declaration at face value. Millions of dollars of COVID funds ranging from clerical errors and misappropriation to criminal fraudulence. The disastrous aftermath of the deadly 2016 floodings that killed 23 West Virginians and created financial nightmares long after the waters receded. Thousands waiting for rebuilt housing or businesses, and thousands of school children waiting years on rebuilt school buildings, some of which are yet to be built eight years later.

The consequences of past funding and accountability issues creating present day trust issues is exacerbated by the lack of state government transparency in just about everything the governor is doing these days. Justice’s usual habit of not taking any challenging questions from the press, and often berating a reporter for daring to question him at all on the rare occasion he does, has not had any electoral consequences as Big Jim looks for promotion to the U.S. Senate. But the precedent of a state government whose leaders seek freedom from the press as opposed to the accountability of a free press, is set by established habits and lack of consequences.

Things that are tolerated in a representative democracy quickly become the standard. When a Gov. Morrisey does the same stiff arm to the West Virginia press and people of the state, but without the internet sensation of Babydog to deflect criticism, appear in tax-payer funded murals , and otherwise endear the masses, will there be any repercussions or meaningful pushback then? Or will the new normal established over the last eight years creep the transparency line back even further?

West Virginia’s farmers, especially the growing sector of homestead farmers , have been hammered by the drought as fall harvest looms and winter is coming. As with flood relief, tornado recovery or any other disaster, a state of emergency declaration that covers all 55 counties should be a rallying moment for all of the state government and the people of West Virginia. A tool that, when properly wielded by our elected governor, should be an automatic come together moment to bypass politics and get the task at hand done.

But trust in government is earned, and easily lost, and evidence demands a verdict. All declarations and emergency funding in the state of West Virginia should be an automatic trust, but verify, situation. After the heartbreaking, hard-earned experience from the disasters that have come before, the people of West Virginia should always demand transparency and the receipts for the emergency challenges to come. If not, a lack of accountability has historically proven to be an avoidable disaster when emergencies arise.