Clean Elections are the means to a clean end for Carol Warren, the coordinator for the West Virginia Citizens for Clean Elections.  Warren is a long time activist who has fought desecration of the magnificent Appalachian Mountains by coal companies, an industry that has long dominated the West Virginia legislature.  Some coal companies use a technique known as mountaintop removal to get at the coal. The devastation at some mines can cover 20 square miles, said Warren. “The coal industry throws around money and politics go in their direction,” said Warren. “So things we want go nowhere. That’s why my organization works for Clean Elections.”  West Virginia’s Clean Elections group is a 26-member coalition that includes teachers, labor, healthcare, environmentalists, and religious groups. Two of the largest are the West Virginia Council of Churches with 300,000 members and the AFL-CIO with 21,000 members, said Warren.  Still, it is an uphill battle convincing legislators that Clean Elections should replace the state’s current election system and its dominance by big money. “We have face-to-face discussions with legislators and we get some interest. If you say public financing for politicians, they don’t want it. When we explain how it works, we get support,” said Warren.  Warren first got involved with progressive activism about 20 years ago. She had been working for the Catholic diocese, “trying to help people” and felt the mood of the country was souring. “During the Reagan years there was atmosphere of blame the victim, ‘it’s their fault,’” said Warren. “That motivated me to become involved.”  There have been some victories for election reform, primarily revolving around the judiciary and the influence of Massey Energy Corp., one of the largest coal companies in the nation, and its CEO Don Blankenship. In 2004, Blankenship set up an organization with the hard-to-resist name of “And for the Sake of the Kids,” and used it to spend $3 million, or $1.70 for every West Virginian, to elect Supreme Court candidate Brent D. Benjamin.  The link between Blankenship and the $3 million was discovered after the election, and angry citizens pressed the legislature to pass a progressive disclosure law. In 2006, when Blankenship’s ads for candidates had to say “Paid for by Don Blankenship,” his candidates lost, said Warren. “We’re not for sale,” said Warren. Reform groups successfully revised and strengthened the disclosure bill.  Last spring, Chief Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard lost a primary race after the publication of photos of him taking a vacation on the French Riviera with Blankenship.