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Pack Sworn In Early as West Virginia State Treasurer

photo by: Steven Allen Adams

Gov. Jim Justice, left, administers the oath of office to new State Treasurer Larry Pack, right, as Pack’s wife, Lisa Pack, holds the Bible at the Capitol in Charleston.

CHARLESTON — Avoiding a gap between state treasurers as Riley Moore joins his new colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gov. Jim Justice swore in incoming State Treasurer Larry Pack 11 days before he officially starts his first four-year term.

Justice administered the oath of office to Pack Friday afternoon in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol Building. Pack’s wife, Lisa Pack, held the Bible.

“I’ve gotten to know Larry Pack and Lisa very well over the last few years,” Justice said. “He has done an amazing job everywhere. He knows numbers like you can’t imagine. And absolutely today, I’m getting the honor of swearing him in to be able to be the person that looks after the finances of this state in many ways, looks after our investments, and looks after all kinds of things that absolutely make the engine run.”

“It is such an honor and privilege and a blessing to be your 26th State Treasurer,” Pack said to a room full of family, friends, and supporters. “I feel like I’m pinching myself a little bit. Thank you so much for trusting me to serve as West Virginia’s Chief Financial Officer. And thank you Gov. Justice for appointing me, for your continued confidence in me, and most of all for your friendship.”

Pack won election as state treasurer in an uncontested May Republican primary and the November general election, succeeding Moore as state treasurer. Pack was not slated to take office until inauguration day on Monday, Jan. 13. But Moore announced earlier this week that he would resign as state treasurer Friday to take his oath of office as West Virginia’s 2nd District Congressman.

“Today begins a new chapter in the State Treasurer’s Office,” Pack said. “As your new state treasurer, I hope to build on the many successes of Treasurer Moore and his accomplishments, using fresh ideas and a new perspective. I’ll be standing on his shoulders, and I look really forward to moving forward.”

Pack is a retired businessman with decades of expertise in accounting and senior living. He founded Stonerise, a senior transitional care company with 17 facilities in West Virginia and Ohio. The company was sold last summer. He also co-founded Pack Lambert and Burdette, an accounting firm that later merged with Suttle and Stalnaker.

Pack was elected as a Republican to the House of Delegates in 2020, representing parts of Charleston, South Charleston, St. Albans, Nitro and Dunbar. He was an assistant majority whip and served on multiple committees, including the House Judiciary and Health and Human Resources committees. Pack also is one of the two state representatives on the Republican National Committee.

Pack resigned from the House in 2022 to become a senior adviser to Justice. More than one year ago, Justice also appointed Pack as acting cabinet secretary for the state Department of Revenue, succeeding former Revenue secretary Dave Hardy whom Justice appointed as a circuit court judge in Kanawha County.

“These experiences really have been an in-depth prep course on how our government spends money, collects money, and invests money,” Pack said.

Moore, a former Jefferson County Republican member of the House of Delegates and national security adviser to the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, was elected as treasurer in 2020, defeating long-time Democratic incumbent John Perdue. Moore won a contested May GOP primary and his November general election to the 2nd Congressional District, succeeding former congressman Alex Mooney who lost his U.S. Senate GOP primary to Justice.

Unlike Moore, who joined the House on the first day Congress resumed business, Justice announced last week that we would delay taking his U.S. Senate seat until Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey is officially sworn in as West Virginia’s 37th governor.

Had Justice resigned to join his Senate colleagues Friday, it would have resulted in outgoing Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, acting as governor until Wednesday, and incoming Senate President Randy Smith, R-Tucker, acting as governor until Jan. 13 when Morrisey is sworn in. However, Justice’s delay in joining the Senate means the seat is vacant for 10 days and it will affect Justice’ seniority rank in the Senate.

Moore expressed thanks earlier this week to Justice for delaying his swearing in, which allowed Moore to be sworn in Friday and participate in the vote to select the next Speaker of the House. It also allowed Justice to swear in Pack early and avoid any disruptions in state financial services that could have resulted in a gap between Moore’s resignation as state treasurer and Pack’s official swearing in on Jan. 13.

“Luckily, Gov. Jim Justice has decided to see out the rest of his term as governor of the state of West Virginia, which has actually really provided a lot of certainty in all of this. So, I want to thank him for doing that,” Moore said. “There would’ve been this gap in between which would’ve created some uncertainty in terms of appointment into the office, but now we have certainty.”

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