Projects' fates uncertain with board appointments

DAILY MAIL CAPITOL REPORTER

It's not clear what Gov. Bob Wise's appointments to a nine-membereconomic development committee will mean for Charleston's proposedballpark or Wheeling's proposed Victorian outlet center, advocatesfor the two projects said.

Wise named Mallie Combs, Bernard Twigg, William Baker, Dan Moore,Mark Prince and David Hofstetter to the committee Monday. Thegovernor, tax secretary and economic development director are membersby statute.

Charleston Mayor Jay Goldman said Monday that, after looking overthe list of appointees, he did not have a good idea of whether thepanel might vote to fund a ballpark in Charleston.

"I don't have the slightest idea," he said.

George Manahan is a spokesman for WVWINS, a group pushing for anew ballpark for the Charleston Alley Cats minor league baseballteam. He said he was pleased with the makeup of the committee.

"It has a mix of financial advisers and bankers. I think there's agood mix of Charleston and statewide representation," he said.

Manahan said he hoped Goldman and Alley Cats owner Tom Dicksonwould work out some of their differences over how to finance the parkbefore it was time to pitch the project to the economic developmentcommittee.

"We would call on them to get together to iron out thosedifferences," he said.

Wheeling Victorian outlet center developer Danny Aderholt said hewasn't sure what the appointments meant for his project.

"I assume that they're all good people," he said. "I'm justwaiting to see what's going to happen."

He said he was ready to pitch the Wheeling project to thecommittee at the appropriate time.

"We've had a lot of material ready for a long time," he said."We're prepared whenever anybody wants to hear from us."

The committee's first meeting is set for April 8. Jack Canfield, aspokesman for Wise, said members would put together an applicationprocess at that meeting.

Sen. Vic Sprouse, R-Kanawha, said he expects the committee willapprove funding for both the ballpark and the outlet mall.

"I think it's pretty obvious that those two projects especiallywould be funded as well as one or two others that the Legislaturetalked about," he said.

One committee member said he had no idea which specific projectswould win funding.

"I'm trying to go into this without any pre-conceived ideas abouthow the committee's going to operate and what's going to come beforethe committee," Hofstetter said. "I'm wide open to whatever mightcome before us."

He said that he believed economic development money would be wellspent on tourism related projects.

"Tourism is very important to West Virginia," he said. "I thinkfrom what I've seen it's our fastest growing part of the state'seconomy."

He also said he felt it was unlikely that the regional airportwould even be one of the projects presented to the committee.

"I question whether the regional airport will be a part of this,"he said.

Sprouse said he was disappointed that no delegates or senatorswere included in Wise's appointments.

"I had hoped for legislative representation," he said. "TheLegislature should have a major say in what happens here."

Sprouse said the Legislature does have the power to block anyproject the committee decides to fund.

Sen. Brooks McCabe, D-Kanawha, on the other hand, said he washappy no lawmakers were picked.

"I think it gives it a little more validation that you havebusiness and economic development people that are looking at it onthe merits of the project and it moves it a little bit further fromthe political arena and closer to the economic development arena,which is where it should be," he said.

Mallie Combs is the director of the Hardy County Rural DevelopmentAuthority. Bernard Twigg is an executive with BB&T bank in MarshallCounty. Bill Baker is president of the Raleigh County Commission.

Dan Moore, of Williamson, is chairman of the Moore Group. MarkPrince, is chairman of Bank One, West Virginia. David Hofstetter, ofWinfield, is co-chairman of the Business Development Committee ofAdvantage Valley.

House Speaker Bob Kiss, D-Raleigh, said he worked hard to makesure the members of the committee were from all across the state. Butsome lawmakers criticized the picks, saying they favored the southernportion of the state.

According to the Associated Press, Sen. Herb Snyder, D-Jefferson,was upset because his district wasn't represented on the committee.He vowed to begin lobbying for a special session to repeal the billthat created the committee.

Writer Sam Tranum can be reached at 348-4872 or by e-mail atsamt@dailymail.com.