CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Bob Kiss died Friday.
Multiple sources confirmed to MetroNews that Kiss lost a battle with cancer.
Kiss, 63, was elected to the House of Delegates in 1988, one of a number of freshmen delegates who were elected in the same year as new Gov. Gaston Caperton.
Kiss, a tax attorney from Beckley, quickly rose in the Democratic House leadership. He served as chairman of the powerful House Finance Committee before being elected House speaker in 1997. He served in that role through 2006 when he decided not to seek reelection to the House after 18 years in the legislature.
“It got to the point I was spending God knows how many days a year doing this. It’s supposed to be a part-time job. I enjoy it. I think I’ve had an impact,” Kiss told longtime statehouse reporter Mannix Porterfield of the Beckley Register-Herald at the time. “I hope 10 to 20 years from now people look back and will recognize that. But for all those reasons, I made the announcement I did two years ago. And I’m really thankful for everything in the last several months and all of the people that urged me to change my mind and reconsider.”
Kiss didn’t resurface until July 2013 when Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin appointed him revenue secretary. The two had developed a friendship when Kiss was speaker and Tomblin was state Senate president. Kiss left state government in January 2017 when new Gov. Jim Justice appointed Dave Hardy as revenue secretary.
“I count myself as monumentally privileged to have had the opportunity to work with him (Tomblin) to the benefit of West Virginia nearly all of my adult life,” Kiss said at the time.
I’m very sorry to learn of the passing of my former legislative colleague, Speaker Bob Kiss. He devoted many years of dedicated service to our state as a lawyer, legislative leader and Revenue Secretary. His wife Melinda and their sons are in our thoughts and prayers. https://t.co/S6JV7L0jBP
— Justice Tim Armstead (@ArmsteadWV) November 6, 2021
Kiss grew up in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Law. He was a partner in the Bowles Rice law firm in Charleston.
Kiss is survived by his wife Melinda and twin adult sons.
"kiss" - Google News
November 06, 2021 at 07:11AM
https://ift.tt/3bMAtWq
Former House Speaker Bob Kiss dies - West Virginia MetroNews
"kiss" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZQDhec
https://ift.tt/2SoDRgQ
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Former House Speaker Bob Kiss dies - West Virginia MetroNews"
Post a Comment