A young reformer, Charleston attorney Dan Greear, is running for attorney general. We endorse him and urge Mountain State residents to vote for him in this year’s general election.

Greear has a simple, five-point platform. He wants to enforce consumer protection laws and improve the state’s business climate. He wants more accountability in the attorney general’s office. He wants to end abuse of the office for political gain. He wants to use competitive bidding when the attorney general has to hire outside lawyers. And he wants to get tougher on crime.

For years, McGraw has gotten away with a cynical strategy: He has hoped that his promises to protect “the little guy” would prompt voters to overlook his many abuses of power.

But West Virginians recognize a scam when they see one - and they’ve seen one from McGraw for far too long.

McGraw’s office really doesn’t score many “consumer protection” victories on its own. Outside lawyers - often those who have contributed to McGraw’s re-election campaigns - are hired to handle “consumer protection” lawsuits. When they win, they collect millions of dollars in fees.

And even if the lawsuits win tens of millions of dollars, much of it doesn’t go to the state treasury. McGraw keeps it, doling it out to various “worthy causes” and reaping goodwill that comes in handy at election time. Meanwhile, governors and legislators scrimp for money to pave roads, improve schools and yes, enforce the law.

A new outrage has surfaced from the attorney general’s office. In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, McGraw’s office has stated that six months of Consumer Protection Division records have been “misplaced.” West Virginians will just have to guess how the money was spent.

Our state has put up with Darrell McGraw for far too long. It’s time to show him the door.

That can be done by electing Dan Greear as our new attorney general. Again, we urge voters to cast their ballots for him - for a needed change.

The republican candidates for Attorney General in Ohio and West Virginia were in Marietta Tuesday promoting an ethics pledge.

Mike Crites and Dan Greear spoke at the Lafayette Hotel promising to adopt the American Tort Reform Association’s “Attorney General Transparency Code” if they are elected.

Both candidates say their state offices have been marred with corruption.

Crites sited former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann who resigned in May amidst a sexual harassment scandal.

Greear cited a West Virginia case, in which incumbent Darrell McGraw tried to sue drug companies for deceptive advertising of oxycontin.

The case was settled for $10-million.

Greear claims McGraw kept some of the settlement money for his own office rather than giving it to agencies he represented.

View the video at WTAP.com.

Today, the Huntington Herald-Dispatch, strongly endorsed Dan Greear.  It is clear to the Huntington Herald-Dispatch editors that Darrell McGraw must be replaced and they feel Dan is the right person to take his place.  Their endorsement is below…

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Dan Greear says the right things about the issues that need to be addressed. Incumbent Darrell McGraw has misused the power of his office, turning what should be state money into a personal slush fund to reward the people and causes he favors. His arrogance has diminished the stature of the office. Greear promises to represent the state of West Virginia rather than imposing his own personal agenda. That’s the kind of attorney general West Virginia needs.

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch joins the Charleston Daily Mail and dozens of other groups across the state supporting the Greear for AG campaign.

The campaign titled “Fighting for Seniors and Working People” discusses Dan’s commitment to protect senior citizens from fraud and to fight for the working people of West Virginia.

“I am proud to have two great supporters, Lou Cook and Wendell Drake, speak on behalf of my campaign and tell other seniors and working people I’m on their side,” Greear said.  “Our ‘Fighting for Seniors and Working People’ ad campaign allows Lou and Wendell to talk directly to the people of the state and discuss who I am and who I will fight for as Attorney General.”

The ad will also be available on YouTube and on the Greear for AG website.  The advertising will run in all major markets of the state.

“Darrell McGraw, with his poor record of mismanagement including six months of missing records in his office, is trying to scare our seniors.  While Darrell claims to be a champion of working people, his office has done more to run off businesses in our state than any other single officeholder currently in place.  I am humbled by Lou and Wendell’s words and I am pleased they send such a powerful message to West Virginia voters.  Seniors will be protected.  Working people can rest assured I will fight for them.  Defeating Darrell McGraw will bring back respect and honor to the office.”

The campaign plans to run both TV and radio ads until Election Day, including a mix of broadcast ads as well as web ads focusing on the candidates’ differences and the reasons to vote for Dan Greear.

Greear is also demanding the AG’s office turn over the records requested in a FOIA request by The State Journal.  He referred to an October 9, 2008 article in the State Journal and comments by Attorney General’s Office Comptroller Joe Clay.

In response to a simple FOIA request of where Consumer Protection Division money has been spent, Comptroller Clay stated the following;

“There’s just not a print out of who (recipients of Consumer Protection Division money) it was paid to,” said Attorney General’s Office Comptroller Joe Clay, about the budgetary request. “I’m having to go through books and books of information to get what you’re asking for, and it takes time to pull out, copy and put back. 

“There’s six months that for whatever reason somebody’s misplaced.” 

“This is a shocking admission of ineptitude and the Legislative auditors need to launch an immediate investigation,” Greear said.  “I will ask the leadership of the Legislature and the Legislative manager to step in and seize the funds currently in the Consumer Protection Fund until a full investigation can take place.”

Greear added, “The Comptroller of the AG’s office has stated that six months worth of spending records are gone.  Not only was there shoddy recordkeeping of McGraw’s political handouts, there seems to be huge swaths of time where we don’t even know how our taxpayers’ money was spent.  This is a symptom of a broken system and an Attorney General who thumbs his nose at the taxpayers and at the Legislature.”

Greear blasted the lack of oversight over the AG’s accounts and demanded McGraw immediately discontinue spending until the Legislature can investigate. “McGraw’s antics have come home to roost.  He has used the Consumer Protection Division as a personal slush fund and his own Comptroller, the person who is supposed to know where the money goes, has admitted that six months of records have vanished.  The Legislature must find out if criminal activity has taken place or if there is simply shoddy management of the taxpayer’s funds used as McGraw’s slush fund. This is a shameful display of incompetence.”

Greear continues traveling to all 55 counties to promote his message. His ad campaign, ‘Proven Leader, Positive Change” continues this week across the state.

Greear asked the press corps to do their due diligence and follow-up with questions to the AG himself.

“We can’t find Darrell McGraw, or we’d ask him ourselves,” Greear said.  “The Attorney General’s Office, through political consultant Amy Shuler Goodwin, has been attempting to purchase ads promoting a series of town hall meetings throughout the state on gas prices.”

Greear blasted the potential use of taxpayer dollars 30 days out from the campaign. “This is wrong on so many levels, I’m not sure where to begin.  In 16 years, McGraw has never done anything on gas prices.  McGraw’s sudden interest in gas prices is clearly a terrible misuse of the office, considering gas prices have been over $4.00 all year and just now, 30 days out from the election, McGraw is interested.  He is using a political consultant to make the buys, while claiming they are not political.  And, he is trying to use taxpayer money to buy self-promotional radio ads to promote an issue he’s done nothing about.  This is bad, even for McGraw.”   

“It’s time for these shenanigans to stop,” Greear commented.  “Everywhere I go people have had it with McGraw’s abuse of the office.  They want him out.  We will have the chance to take back control of the office and actually do the job it was meant to do.”

Greear continues traveling to all 55 counties to promote his message. His ad campaign, ‘Proven Leader, Positive Change” continues this week across the state.

The campaign titled “Proven Leader, Positive Change” will discuss Dan’s accomplishments and his new direction for the Office of Attorney General.

“We have consistently heard from people across the state that they not only want to vote against Darrell, but they want someone they can support,” Greear said.  “Our ‘Proven Leader, Positive Change’ ad campaign will allow the people of our state to get to know me better, to learn where I’ve come from, and to understand my number one priority will be to restore respect and honor to the office after 16 years of McGraw rule.”

The ad will also be available on YouTube and on the Greear for AG website, www.dangreear.com.  The advertising will run in all major markets of the state.

“The campaign, ‘Proven Leader, Positive Change’ is upbeat.  It will highlight the fact that we can make a difference by defeating Darrell McGraw.  In three weeks, our campaign has quickly closed the gap to single digits through our ground campaign efforts.  But, I also understand that without a strong media campaign, we will not be able to overcome Darrell’s significant contributions from trial lawyer friends.  To win this election, we need people to understand that I am a proven leader and the change I will bring to the Attorney General’s Office will send a positive message to America.  I have said it many times, but there is no clearer way to send a message to America that West Virginia is truly open for business than by defeating Darrell McGraw.”   

The campaign plans to run both TV and radio ads until Election Day, including a mix of broadcast ads as well as web ads focusing on the candidates’ differences and the reasons to vote for Dan Greear.

Morgantown, W.Va. — WVCDL-PAC, the political action committee of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (WVCDL), is pleased to announce that it has endorsed Dan Greear for the office of Attorney General in the November 4 general election.

Greear, a former member of the House of Delegates from Kanawha County, earned high marks for his strong support of West Virginia gun owners’ rights. WVCDL-PAC Chairman Jim Mullins said, “Dan Greear has pledged to be a strong advocate for West Virginia gun owners. I encourage all West Virginians to vote for Dan Greear for Attorney General.”

Mullins said, “Dan Greear has pledged to be an advocate for issues such as expanding concealed carry reciprocity, actively supporting legislation to reduce the number of places where law-abiding gun owners are prohibited from carrying, and opposing any legislation that would impose new restrictions on the rights of legal gun owners.” Greear also indicated that he supported the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in District of Columbia v. Heller to declare Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban unconstitutional as a violation of the Second Amendment. 

WVCDL-PAC polled candidates for Attorney General on a wide range of issues of interest to gun owners. Only Dan Greear responded to this survey. Mullins said, “We were disappointed that Attorney General Darrell McGraw’s campaign failed to respond to our survey. We are pleased that Dan Greear was willing to share his views on the specific questions we presented and believe he will be an effective advocate for law-abiding West Virginia gun owners.” 

A copy of Dan Greear’s WVCDL-PAC candidate survey is available upon request or by visiting www.wvcdl.org/candidate_surveys/2008/