Randall Reid-Smith was planning to fire longtime Archives and History Director Fred Armstrong even before Gov. Joe Manchin actually appointed him as Culture and History commissioner in 2006, according to depositions taken for Armstrong's personnel grievance hearing.

The primary grounds, according to Reid-Smith's deposition, was that Armstrong was "disrespectful" to him during weekly Tuesday morning directors' meetings at the Cultural Center.

(Reid-Smith was hired in November 2005 as a special assistant to the commissioner, and was named commissioner in June 2006.)

Asked to cite an example of Armstrong's disrespect, Reid-Smith described a meeting, apparently in January 2007, when he raised the topic of moving the Archives Library to make way for a café/gift shop in the Cultural Center.

Said Reid-Smith:  "And Mr. Armstrong went into a speech, and in that speech, I - I remember him saying to me, if I were, you know, if I were aware of the [state] code, I would realize that it was the commission who has that responsibility [for the Cultural Center], when it clearly states that I have responsibility for that building. ...

"That was disrespectful in the manner in which he said it, sir, and in the tone of his voice."

As for whether that was grounds to dismiss a state archivist with 31 years of apparently exemplary public service, Reid-Smith stated, "I had to put together a team I could work with."

Meanwhile, in her deposition, Reid-Smith's boss, Education and the Arts Secretary Kay Goodwin, testified that she had no involvement either in Armstrong's firing - or in Reid-Smith's promotion to commissioner.

"The commissioner was given the assurance that he could form his own leadership team when he was hired to carry forward his vision," she said.

However, Goodwin said that assurance came not from her, but from Larry Puccio, Manchin's chief of staff.

She said Reid-Smith informed her of his decision about a week before he fired Armstrong on Nov. 1, 2007.

Goodwin also testified she had no input in Reid-Smith's appointment as commissioner, in this exchange with attorney Jim Lees:

Q: "Did you appoint commissioner Reid-Smith to his position?"

A: "I did not."

Q: "Who did?"

A: "The governor of the great state."

Q: "Did you recommend to the governor that he be appointed?"

A: "I did not."

Randall Reid-Smith was planning to fire longtime Archives and History Director Fred Armstrong even before Gov. Joe Manchin actually appointed him as Culture and History commissioner in 2006, according to depositions taken for Armstrong's personnel grievance hearing.

The primary grounds, according to Reid-Smith's deposition, was that Armstrong was "disrespectful" to him during weekly Tuesday morning directors' meetings at the Cultural Center.

(Reid-Smith was hired in November 2005 as a special assistant to the commissioner, and was named commissioner in June 2006.)

Asked to cite an example of Armstrong's disrespect, Reid-Smith described a meeting, apparently in January 2007, when he raised the topic of moving the Archives Library to make way for a café/gift shop in the Cultural Center.

Said Reid-Smith:  "And Mr. Armstrong went into a speech, and in that speech, I - I remember him saying to me, if I were, you know, if I were aware of the [state] code, I would realize that it was the commission who has that responsibility [for the Cultural Center], when it clearly states that I have responsibility for that building. ...

"That was disrespectful in the manner in which he said it, sir, and in the tone of his voice."

As for whether that was grounds to dismiss a state archivist with 31 years of apparently exemplary public service, Reid-Smith stated, "I had to put together a team I could work with."

Meanwhile, in her deposition, Reid-Smith's boss, Education and the Arts Secretary Kay Goodwin, testified that she had no involvement either in Armstrong's firing - or in Reid-Smith's promotion to commissioner.

"The commissioner was given the assurance that he could form his own leadership team when he was hired to carry forward his vision," she said.

However, Goodwin said that assurance came not from her, but from Larry Puccio, Manchin's chief of staff.

She said Reid-Smith informed her of his decision about a week before he fired Armstrong on Nov. 1, 2007.

Goodwin also testified she had no input in Reid-Smith's appointment as commissioner, in this exchange with attorney Jim Lees:

Q: "Did you appoint commissioner Reid-Smith to his position?"

A: "I did not."

Q: "Who did?"

A: "The governor of the great state."

Q: "Did you recommend to the governor that he be appointed?"

A: "I did not."

Reid-Smith also testified that he had no prior managerial experience before being appointed commissioner, and said he prepared no written evaluation of Armstrong's job performance before firing him.

Asked why he thought the governor hired him as commissioner (given his lack of credentials for the position) Reid-Smith stated, "Because of my love for the state of West Virginia. Wanting to promote the arts, the education of the arts, the

history of the state I love. And, I have a good - I have a hard work ethic."

Both depositions make clear that Armstrong was vocal in his opposition to the café/gift shop proposal.

"I can remember him being very upset, and he compared this to rape," Reid-Smith stated.

Reid-Smith also testified that the concept of a café-gift shop was promoted by consultants who designed the new, interactive (but still non-existent) state museum, saying they believed the amenities would "increase visitation."

Asked if he had discussed the matter with first lady Gayle Manchin, Reid-Smith said, "I don't recall."

However, he did say he took the Manchins on a tour of the Cultural Center while he was serving as special assistant.

"And in that tour, we came upstairs, and I stated there's where I was told the cafeteria was going to be, and where the art gallery was going to be," Reid-Smith said, referring to the Archives Library.

In another tidbit, Reid-Smith confirmed that Dan Kimble and Mike Plante were the aides sent by House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, to get him to overrule a decision by the Archives and History Commission to deny historical markers for three grave sites of Revolutionary War soldiers in Wayne County, on the grounds the graves did not have unique historical significance.

In ordering Armstrong to approve the markers, Reid-Smith testified, "I told Mr. Armstrong what's historically significant to one person may not be historically significant to another, and it was a judgment call."

Finally, Armstrong's deposition by the attorney hired to represent Culture and History, Billie Streyle-Anderson, is excruciatingly long, and frankly, sleep-inducing.

(Armstrong may have many good qualities, but he's one of those people who, if you ask him for the time, he'll proceed to tell you the history of watch-making.)

However, there is a lengthy and hilarious exchange where Streyle-Anderson tries to get Armstrong to say the reason he couldn't get along with Reid-Smith is because (in her words) Armstrong is a "realist" and Reid-Smith is a "visionary."

Given that one of the definitions of "visionary" is "not realistic, impractical," maybe she was right.

To contact staff writer Phil Kabler, e-mail at ph...@wvgazette.com">ph...@wvgazette.com or call 348-1220.