Cary

Cary

CHARLESTON — Bray Cary, a former state media mogul who spent nearly the last four years advising Gov. Jim Justice, is leaving state government for a spot on the West Virginia University Board of Governors.

Justice announced the departure of Cary and the WVU appointment Tuesday during his coronavirus press briefing.

“Bray is a really close friend,” Justice said. “He did a great job. I hope that he isn’t going to go off and get lost and everything…as far as Bray’s contribution, it was invaluable and I hope from time to time, in fact, as often he would like, I surely hope Bray will come back and talk about matters.”

Cary joined the Governor’s Office in 2017 as an unpaid advisor during the effort to get the Roads to Prosperity bond amendment approved by voters during a special session that year. He was put on the payroll as a senior adviser, drawing down $8.75 per hour as part Justice’s leadership team that included Chief of Staff Mike Hall and General Counsel Brian Abraham. Hall is now retired and Abraham is chief of staff.

Previously, Cary owned West Virginia Media Holdings which included four TV stations and a newspaper. Cary also hosted Decision Makers, a Sunday morning public affairs show that focused on West Virginia politics and public policy. A 1970 graduate of WVU, Cary returned to the state in the early 2000s after serving as a NASCAR executive.

Justice said part of the reason Cary stepped down was to pursue personal business interests and to avoid any conflict of interest from his appointment to the WVU Board of Governors. One of Cary’s former business partners in West Virginia Media Holdings, insurance executive Marty Becker, also is on the board of governors. Drew Payne, a former board of governors member from 2006 to 2015, also was involved with Cary’s media company. Payne is now chairman of the state Higher Education Policy Commission.

“(Cary) does have some business things he is working on,” Justice said. “I just recently made the recommendation to him on the Board of Governors at WVU. We surely want to avoid any type of conflict there.”

Cary will be replaced by Roman Stauffer, the former co-chairman of the West Virginia Republican Executive Committee. Stauffer was acting chairman of the party from January to March until Mark Harris was selected after Melody Potter stepped down earlier this year. Stauffer, a longtime Republican organizer, was the campaign manager for Justice in 2020. He will pull down $90,000 per year.

“What Roman will be doing is a liaison with our federal partners and monies that will be coming out of D.C.,” Justice said. “He will be working on a lot of different aspects and a lot of different things. Roman has a lot of experience and Roman and I work very well together. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Roman as well.”