Larry Pack joins Justice administration as senior advisor | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo Courtesy/WV Legislative Photography
Delegate Larry Pack will resign from the House of Delegates and become a senior adviser to Gov. Jim Justice.

CHARLESTON — Del. Larry Pack, a Republican who has served in the West Virginia House of Delegates for nearly two years, will join Gov. Jim Justice as a senior advisor.

Justice announced Pack’s employment in a press release Monday morning. Pack will join Roman Stauffer, Justice’s senior advisor for federal affairs and outreach, as part of the team advising the Governor as he finishes up the last nearly two years of his final term.

“Larry is a dear friend and trusted advisor to me on a range of issues,” Justice said. “He will bring a wealth of wisdom to my administration from his decades of private sector experience. This position is perfect for Larry because he truly loves this state and wants to give back in public service differently than he has before.”

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

Speaking by phone Monday afternoon, Pack said conversations with Justice about joining the administration started four months ago, but became more serious after Pack retired.

“I just really had more time to devote to public service,” Pack said. “The Governor felt like he could use some additional help to supplement the really good team that he has. I think we have a lot of the same conservative views and a lot of the same views as far as growing West Virginia, creating more jobs, and bringing people back to West Virginia. So, the timing just worked out perfectly for me and for (Justice), and I look forward to the new opportunity.”

Pack was elected as a Republican to the House of Delegates in 2020, representing the current 35th District that includes parts of Charleston, South Charleston, St. Albans, Nitro and Dunbar. He is an assistant majority whip and serves on multiple committees, including the House Judiciary Committee and Health and Human Resources Committee. Pack said he will resign from the House.

With the state ending the fiscal year with a record-breaking tax revenue surplus, months of record-breaking unemployment rates, increased inbound migration and tourism, and new businesses and manufacturers eyeballing the state, Pack said he wants to continue that success.

“A big part of this job opportunity is to help the Governor continue this unprecedented era of success and prosperity,” Pack said. “I’ve been a student of West Virginia politics for most of my adult life, and I’ve just never seen a six-year run like we currently have … I think you just keep trying to build on that success and keep growing West Virginia, and keep getting government out of the job creators’ ways.”

Pack also believes he can be useful helping get Justice’s agenda through the Legislature, including the Governor’s 10% personal income tax cut and the abortion law modernization bills still stuck in the Legislature while the special session remains on pause.

“There’s no question that there’s always challenges,” Pack said. “When it comes to tax reform and when it comes to the abortion issues which we dealt with in the special session … those are just really, really good conversations. Those are conversations on conservative values and conservative issues, and eventually there’ll be some resolutions and there’ll be accommodations made on both sides.”

Justice’s appointment of Pack will also mean that Pack will have to withdraw as the Republican candidate for the new 56th House District. The 35th District was one of the last multi-member House districts. For the first time, the House was divided into 100 single-member districts. Pack shared the 35th District with Republican Moore Capito, House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, and Democratic Del. Kayla Young.

Pack would have faced Young in the Nov. 8 general elections for the 56th District. According to the Secretary of State’s Office. Pack has until Aug. 16, to withdraw as a candidate. The Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee has until 78 days before the general election — Monday, Aug. 22 — to select a new Republican candidate for the November ballot. A new nomination form and a certificate of announcement will also need to be filed with the Secretary of State.

Prior to his term in the House, Pack was a well-known fundraiser and bundler for many Republican candidates for higher office. The West Virginia Republican Executive Committee elected Pack in 2017 to represent the state at the Republican National Committee. He serves alongside Beth Bloch, who was elected as in 2020 as the state’s woman representative on the RNC.