Billionaire going to make WV 'great' again

Another Billionaire ‘man of the people.’ (eyeroll)

One wonders how many billionaires will run for office
in the coming elections.

See any similarities between the WV billionaire and that Other guy 🙂
w
v

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link:http://www.forbes.com/sites/maxjedeurpalmgren/2016/11/08/west-virginia-elects-billionaire-jim-justice-as-its-next-governor/#5052bc446da8

West Virginia on Tuesday elected coal baron billionaire Jim Justice, a Democrat, as the new governor….

…In a campaign that showed some resemblance to Trump’s, Justice highlighted his lack of political experience as a strength, tapping into a general distrust of Washington D.C. in a state that has battled unemployment following the decline of the coal industry.

“I‘m not a politician, I’m a business guy,” he told FORBES in March, alluding to a frustrating lack of progress in his home state as he sees it.

In the gubernatorial race, in which Justice was pitted against Cole and two other candidates ( Charlotte Pritt, Mountian Party and David Moran, Libertarian Party ), he had to battle some negative media coverage, notably a story first reported by NPR about delinquent taxes and unpaid fines, totaling $15 million across six states, owed by Justice’s companies. The Justice companies have disputed the findings in the reports; Justice himself has not responded to a request for comment.

Justice, who was registered as a Republican for most of his life, switched to Democrat in 2014 yet refused to throw his support behind Hillary Clinton, citing their different views on the future of coal and on his general distaste for beltway politics. He didn’t show up at the Democratic National Convention and described the Trump family as dear friends.

In an interview with FORBES in September, he expanded on his reasoning. “I will break my back in every way to try to work with whoever gets elected, but I’m not getting this craziness. This Washington craziness has gotten so bad, and I’m just not getting it. I just need to take a pass, and that’s what I’m going to do,” said West Virginia’s only billionaire.

Justice, who is worth nearly $1.6 billion, according to FORBES’ latest rankings, gets much of his fortune from a coal and agricultural business he inherited from his father. Justice has proved himself to be a prolific dealmaker. Most noteworthy is his investment in the Bluestone mines, which Justice sold to Russian mining company Mechel OAO in 2009 for over $550 million in a cash and stock deal, only to buy it back last year for only $5 million.

In recent years, most West Virginians have largely gotten to know Justice through his investments in the iconic Greenbrier resort, which he bought out of bankruptcy in 2009. According to his own estimates, Justice has poured some $250 million into the resort.

In the September interview, Justice told FORBES that he would not let his gubernatorial duties interfere with his business commitments.

“I don’t have any intention whatsoever of putting stuff in a blind trust. You don’t have to do so in West Virginia,” he told FORBES.

Asked how he’s going to manage his billion dollar fortune invested across three industries as well as run the state as its governor, Justice answered: “Well I don’t sleep enough, but I love what I do.”