TANSILL
RESPONDS TO
MASS
MAILINGS
Delegate Jeff Tansill issued a response today
regarding the recent mass mailings that have been
sent out by the West Virginia Democratic Executive
Committee. The vast majority of registered
voters in the 42nd District have
received the mailings that cast Tansill in a
negative light for receiving a campaign
contribution from Massey Coal CEO Don Blankenship.
Similar mailings have been sent out around the
state, targeting other Delegates who had also
received contributions from Blankenship.
“These
mailings are a great disappointment to me, both as
a person and as a candidate,” Tansill said.
“It hurts to have my personal integrity called
into question in such a manner, and it hurts to
see the same thing happening to so many of my
upstanding colleagues.”
Tansill
urged voters to check his voting record.
“The mailings fail to mention that I have
opposed Don Blankenship on several major
issues,” Tansill said.
Even though the ads claim that Tansill is a
“bought and paid for” legislator, his voting
record says otherwise. Tansill appeared in a TV
commercial with Governor Manchin and other
legislators pushing for the passage of the Pension
Bond Amendment (PBA) in June 2005, an act that
Blankenship vehemently opposed.
Tansill was one of the legislators who helped get
the PBA on the ballot for a special vote. He
also promoted the PBA in his district, endorsed it
in his bi-weekly news column, and saw its passage
in Taylor County , although it did not pass
statewide.
Delegate
Tansill also voted in favor of increasing the coal
severance tax to help fund the state’s
beleaguered worker’s compensation program, while
Blankenship argued against this per-ton tax on
coal.
“I
do not subscribe to these dirty campaign tactics.
I believe in honoring what is right and running a
campaign based on the issues and qualifications of
the candidate,” Tansill stated. “You do
not see me bringing up my opponent’s
questionable campaign contributors. These mass
mailings have cost tens of thousands of dollars,
money which could have been otherwise well-spent.
They are a feeble attempt to take the voters’
minds off the real issues we face in our state.
“I
believe in putting partisan politics aside to get
the job done and do what is right for West
Virginia ,” Tansill said. “I am proud to
represent the people of the 42nd
district and work on legislation that will improve
the lives of all who live in this state.”
Voters
are able to see who is contributing to the various
campaigns by going to the Secretary of State’s
website (www.wvsos.com).
As
printed in the Mountain Statesman November 3, 2006
CAP
Major Jeffery Tansill is a West Virginia State
Delegate
by:
Capt Jeffery Schrock, Director of Public Affairs
West Virginia Wing
No stranger to the US Air Force, CAP Major Jeff
Tansill, was born and raised
the son of a career Air Force veteran. Born on a
nuclear submarine base,
Tansill grew up in several locations, including four
years in Europe. He was
used to making sacrifices to serve his country as he
saw his father deployed
for up to a year at a time for war and for NATO
exercises.
He returned to his parents’ native West Virginia
as a young teen to live. In
the mid 90’s, he was appointed to fill a vacancy
on Grafton City Council,
and within two years became the Vice Mayor. It was
during his second term as
Vice Mayor that tragedy struck as the terrorist
attacks on September 11th
2001 shook the nation. “That’s when I decided it
was time to do something
more for my country. My friend, Lt Col Eugene Thorn,
had been trying to
recruit me for some time,” Tansill related.
Consequently, Mr. Tansill joined
the CAP and quickly became an active member with the
Clarksburg Composite
Squadron.
Jeff Tansill soon became Mayor of Grafton, and
enjoyed joining his love for
the mountains and outdoors with CAP search and
rescue training. While
planning his reelection campaign, he was approached
by friends and some
Legislators to run for the WV House of Delegates.
At press time, Jeff Tansill is in his second year as
a Legislator in
Charleston. He remains optimistic about the services
the CAP provides to
West Virginia and the United States.
“The CAP performs valuable tasks in helping other
government agencies with
aerial assistance and ground team operations.
Whether they are tracking
wildlife, doing Drug Demand Reduction work, flying
hurricane damage
assessment, locating downed planes or lost children,
CAP volunteers make a
big difference in bettering our lives and
communities.”
Taken
from the January edition of the MOUNTAIN
FLYER, a publication of the West
Virginia
Wing of the Civil Air Patrol
