With a little more than five months remaining in Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's term in office, another round of ranking governor's office staffers are requesting employment exemptions from the state Ethics Commission to allow them to seek jobs in the private sector.
That includes chief of staff Chris Stadelman, who was promoted to that post from communications director in June, after chief of staff Charlie Lorensen stepped down a month after getting his own employment exemption.
"I speak for myself and, I think, many of the others in saying I don't plan to go anywhere. I plan to stay to the very last day," Stadelman said Monday.
However, he noted that, under the Ethics Act, ranking members of the governor's office staff are barred from even speaking with prospective employers about future job opportunities.
"I've had people approach me along the lines of, 'What are you doing after this? We should talk at some point,'" Stadelman said. "I have to say, 'I can't even talk to you.'"
Under the state Ethics Act, full-time public officials and ranking staffers may not seek employment from businesses or persons that their agencies regulate for one year after leaving government service, a provision sometimes referred to as the "revolving door" ban.
The act allows officials and employees to seek exemptions if the one-year prohibition presents an undue hardship. Because the governor's office effectively has regulatory authority over all state businesses and residents, staffers could not otherwise seek employment anywhere in the state for one year without the exemption.
Other governor's office staff and cabinet secretaries requesting employment exemptions are:
n Joseph Garcia, director of legislative affairs. Garcia has served as the primary legislative liaison for the governor since 2014, and previously had been a deputy general counsel to the governor.
n Randy Huffman, cabinet secretary, Department of Environmental Protection. Huffman was appointed DEP secretary by then-Gov. Joe Manchin in 2008. Prior to that appointment, Huffman had worked for the DEP for 21 years, including the previous three years as deputy secretary.
n Sherrie Stone, scheduling director. Stone has served in state government since 1995, first in the secretary of state's office under Ken Hechler and Joe Manchin. She joined the governor's staff when Manchin became governor in 2005, first as a receptionist and special assistant. She was promoted to deputy scheduler in 2009, and executive scheduler a year later.
Ethics Commission executive director Rebecca Stepto has granted temporary 30-day employment exemptions to all four, pending a formal vote on the requests by the full commission on Thursday.
In May, the commission granted exemptions to Lorensen, policy director Lawrence Malone, deputy general counsels Mark Imbrogno and Brittany Vascik, and director of intergovernmental affairs Robert Quinn.
The commission did not meet in June.
Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.