WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

Dear Editor:

It's a good thing Roger Decanio is not a member of the defense bar. In his "CALA Has It Wrong Again" (The West Virginia Record, July 29), he defends himself against a charge never leveled against him.

Decanio denies in his column that voters "rejected me solely because I was an attorney." No one ever said as much. As reported in The Record's July 28 edition, West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (WV CALA) reviewed official campaign finance reports and discovered that three of the six top takers of campaign cash in large donations from the lawsuit industry were not given an advance by voters to the November general. More than half of Decanio's large contributions were from personal injury lawyers and was among the losing trio.

WV CALA concludes that the three primary casualties suggests West Virginia voters do not want legislators beholden to greedy personal injury lawyers who file frivolous lawsuits that drive jobs out of our state. Our grassroots reform group will continue to monitor the infusion of lawsuit industry cash into campaign coffers. Look for our updated "Dirty Dozen" list this fall.

Thomas J. O'Neill, Chairman
WV CALA