Virginia Tobacco Panel Cancels Meeting On Lawmaker’s Job Prospect Amid Resignation Controversy

State Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Russell, gestures as he poses a question during the Senate Committee on Agriculture, conservation and Natural Resources public hearing on a bill that would limit strip mining of coal, at... State Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Russell, gestures as he poses a question during the Senate Committee on Agriculture, conservation and Natural Resources public hearing on a bill that would limit strip mining of coal, at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) MORE LESS
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Virginia State Sen. Phillip Puckett (D) was supposed to get a job at the tobacco commission after he resigned from the legislature on Monday. But under a cloud of controversy about potentially improper behavior on his part, the commission has canceled its meeting this week set up solely to discuss the idea of hiring him, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

House Del. Terry Kilgore (R), the chair of the tobacco commission, told TriCities.com in an article published Sunday that Puckett would be “a great asset” and a “perfect fit” for a job with the panel.

Puckett’s resignation flips control of the Senate to Republicans by a 20-19 margin, paving the way for them to pass a budget that excludes a Democrat-endorsed expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare.

The immediate pushback and suggestions that Republicans enticed him to resign with the tobacco post compelled Puckett to take himself out of the running for the job, the Washington Post reported on Monday afternoon.

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