Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee Calls for Sen. Mike Maroney To Resign
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The Monongalia Republican Executive Committee is calling for embattled West Virginia Sen. Mike Maroney to resign immediately amid his multiple arrests.
The committee announced Friday it had passed a resolution saying that Maroney's legal troubles have severely limited the Marshall County Republican's ability to carry out his duties as a state senator.
"While the legal process must take its course, the perception of impropriety and the repeated legal entanglements surrounding Senator Maroney have brought discredit to the West Virginia Senate," said Ethan Moore, Chairman of the Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee. "We believe it is in the best interest of Senate District 2 and the state for Senator Maroney to resign, restoring public trust and the integrity of the Senate."
Maroney’s Senate district includes parts of Monongalia, Marshall and Marion counties, as well as all of Doddridge, Wetzel and Tyler counties.
Maroney has been arrested twice since Aug. 13. The first time, on Aug. 13, was on charges of indecent exposure and disorderly conduct in connection with an alleged incident at the Glen Dale Gumby's on Aug. 7. Maroney is accused of committing "an overt act of sexual gratification" in the video lottery room of that Gumby's.
He was arrested again Monday, this time on a trio of misdemeanor charges - one count of DUI-drugs, one count of failure to maintain motor vehicle insurance and one count of expired motor vehicle registration. According to the arrest report, Maroney was pulled over Monday afternoon after McMechen Police Chief Robert Shilling saw him allegedly driving erratically around Center McMechen Elementary during student pick-up time.
According to the report, when Shilling stopped Maroney, he was allegedly unsteady, slurring his words and failed several field sobriety tests.
Following his Aug. 13 arrest, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, removed Maroney as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources, as well as all his other committee positions to "give him appropriate time to dedicate to his personal issues."
The Monongalia GOP Executive Committee also said that if Maroney refused to resign, it would ask Gov. Jim Justice, as part of the call for any future special session, to enable Blair and the Senate to take necessary actions to expel or censure Maroney for disorderly behavior in accordance with Senate rules.
"The people of West Virginia deserve representatives who uphold the highest standards of conduct," Moore said. "If Senator Maroney is unwilling to step down, the Senate must be enabled to act to preserve its integrity and protect the interests of our citizens."
Justice has called for a special session beginning Monday.
Maroney, first elected to his state Senate in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, was defeated in the 2024 primary by Monongalia County resident Chris Rose. His current term will end Dec. 31. Maroney could not be reached for comment Friday.