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WHEELING -- West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday officially announced that Jeff Stephens, a West Virginia studies teacher at Sherrard Middle School, will fill the District 6 seat in the House of Delegates representing Marshall County.
Stephens got the call from Justice's chief of state Brian Abraham Wednesday morning, just in time to tell his second period class.
The Republican will succeed former Delegate Charlie Reynolds, and he plans to run for election next year.
After telling his students of his new opportunity, he said they cheered and congratulated him. But they also expressed concern.
"They didn't want me to leave, but I told them I'm only leaving for 60 days during the regular legislative session," he said. "If I had to leave them for any longer than that, I don't think I could have done that."
Stephens, 44, was a recipient of an honorary "Golden Horseshoe" last year after having produced 13 "Golden Horseshoe" winners from his classes.
He and fellow teacher Dan Gatts also have coached four teams who have gone on to win the state's history bowl championship.
Stephens also serves as Sherrard Middle School's athletic director. He coached girls basketball at the school for nine seasons, and was an assistant girls basketball coach at John Marshall High School for four years.
In addition, he coached football at Sherrard for 14 years.
"I'm a lifelong Marshall County resident," Stephens said. "I know the state and its issues very well from teaching West Virginia studies. I'm just waiting to get started."
He continued that as a teacher, he knows the availability of mental health care opportunities for young children needs to be improved - "not just here but everywhere."
He added that road projects and fixing and maintaining roads "are always on the docket."
Stephens succeeds Reynolds, who has taken a job as superintendent of District 6 with the West Virginia Division of Highways.
Reynolds was among those Stephens informed Wednesday after learning he was about to be appointed a delegate.
Reynolds then posted and deleted word of Stephens' appointment on social media, which touched off a maelstrom within the Marshall County Republican Executive Committee.
The committee's members had been charged with interviewing and vetting candidates for the vacant delegate seat, and they selected the names of three candidates to send on to Justice for consideration.
Names sent to Justice included Stephens; former Marshall County Commissioner Jason "Jake" Padlow; and Don Schilling, retired from the U.S. Navy and West Virginia Division of Highways, according to West Virginia Republican Party Chairwoman Elgine McArdle.
McArdle explained she must be present at delegate selection proceedings under the party's bylaws, though she doesn't have a vote in them.
After hearing through channels Wednesday that Stephens would be appointed, Marshall County GOP Chairwoman Carole Wood resigned her post because committee members weren't told first.
"It came to me through a person at the courthouse," she said.
Wood added that three other committee members have indicated they may resign "because of the process." She didn't say who those people were because they haven't put their resignation "in writing."
"The person selected isn't really who our number one person was," she said. "We asked the questions. We vetted them. Why didn't our choice be considered?"
She sent her resignation to McArdle, who said it isn't in the protocol for the governor to contact the county committee when he makes an appointment.
"The governor doesn't call me either, and I'm the state chairman," McArdle said. "They notify the person, not me.
"The perception here is someone was cut out of the loop, and that is not what happened. It's nothing personal, it's just the way business is run."
She added she is next "going to try and calm everybody down."
"Sometimes people have a perceived importance that really isn't there," McArdle explained. "I'm the state chair, and I don't have any power. You don't get paid. It's a thankless job."