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West Virginia Democrats are worried they haven't been getting their message to the public. They have created a new
position of General Chairman of the Democratic Legislative Council and elected Glenville attorney Phil Reale to fill the
position.
The new unpaid position is a reaction to recent forceful rhetoric from Republican leaders, like Chairman Kris Warner.
"I think that while we've been governing, the Republicans have been talking, and we realize that we have to do some talking
ourselves," House Majority Leader Rick Staton said.
Sen. Ed Bowman thanked the Republicans for having "awoken what I consider to be a sleeping giant: the Democratic Party
in West Virginia."
Republican Party Chairman Kris Warner said today, "It seems like they're still hitting the snooze alarm."
Warner has issued statements claiming that the Democrats are in disarray and that they realize that "voters are fed up with the
power and arrogance of 70 years of one-party rule."
House Speaker Bob Kiss said Democrats are responsible for funding water, sewer, road and school construction projects
around the state, holding off general tax increases for several years and passing medical liability reform legislation that is
"probably one of the most far-reaching and comprehensive pieces of legislation of any place in the country."
Reale, who was chief of staff and re-election campaign chairman for former Gov. Gaston Caperton, said he would reorganize
the Democratic Legislative Council into "a distillery of information," using both current and former members to get
Democrats' message out to the people.
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