Politics

Ethics Reform – Not So Fast

S.C. Legislators Campaign Funds for Foreign Trips

At least in the use of campaign funds, there seems to be bi-partisan support among S.C. legislators for trips abroad.

According to a recent article in The State newspaper, 11 representatives (8 Republicans and 3 Democrats) and a lone Republican senator made use of their campaign funds to pay for a trip to Israel.

According to the article, the legislators who made the trip were: Sen. Ray Cleary, R-Georgetown and Reps. Alan Clemmons, R-Horry, Heather Crawford, R-Horry, Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, Garry Smith, R-Greenville, Raye Felder, R-York, Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, Mike Forrester, R-Spartanburg, Mike Gambrell, R-Anderson, David Weeks, D-Sumter, Todd Rutherford, D-Richland and MaryGail Douglas, D-Fairfield.

Clemmons said in the article that the legislators used their campaign funds to cover the cost of the trip.

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Ethics Reform – Not So Fast

Ethics Reform Obstacles in S.C. House

It looks like ethics reform during the upcoming session of the S.C. General Assembly will go down the same black hole as the last couple of years’ efforts.

The main reason being South Carolina legislators really don’t want to reform themselves.

During a meeting of the House Ethics and Freedom of Information Study Committee last week, the mentality of what seems to be the majority of legislators came to the fore.

What seemed a ‘no brainer’ provision of possible ethics reform, eliminating the use of campaign funds for legal defense funds against ethics complaints, appears to run counter to a majority of the committee’s wishes.

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Curtis Loftis on Public Pension Oversight

S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis has been a watchdog for the taxpaying citizens of South Carolina since he first took office in January 2011.

As a statutory member of the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission, Loftis has long criticized the high fees, low performance and lack of transparency associated with South Carolina’s public pension funds.

The high salaries and bonuses paid to top SCRSIC staffers and the rather cozy relationship some appear to have with risky hedge fund investors have all been targets of Loftis’ oversight.

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Bureaucracy to prevail at expense of the taxpayer

Interesting S.C. House Rule Changes

A recent organizational meeting of the S.C. House unanimously approved rule changes which could lead to interesting changes in the way that body operates.

Foremost among those changes is creation of a new Legislative Oversight Committee. This new committee will conduct oversight of the activities of all executive and Cabinet level agencies.

Newly elected Speaker Jay Lucas said the committee will allow the House to require true accountability from the many state agencies and spot potential problems before they rise to crisis levels. (Watch out DSS)

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Questions Continue on Horry County School Board Largesse

A day doesn’t go by without questions being asked about the generous severance package the Horry County School Board recently awarded to departing Superintendent Cindy Elsberry.

The most common – “How do you give that kind of money to someone who quit their job?”

A glimmer of light began to show when Elsberry answered questions from the media after her last school board meeting as superintendent Monday night.

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Ethics Reform – Not So Fast

Ethics Reform House Committee Meets Monday

A specially appointed S.C. House Ethics and the Freedom of Information Act Study Committee met again Monday to continue discussion of ethics reform.

Two areas of concentration on the agenda are campaign finance reform and independent investigation of ethics complaints.

Limiting mileage and travel reimbursement and prohibition against immediate family members being hired by a campaign were discussed along with a prohibition against using campaign funds to pay fines, fees or other charges imposed by the ethics commission, ethics committee or criminal court.

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Horry County School Board Owes Public Answers

The Horry County School Board has completely mishandled the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Cindy Elsberry.

To pay someone who has resigned their position nearly $430,000 of taxpayer money with no explanation and then to use a disparagement clause in the negotiated agreement as the excuse for not talking is the height of arrogance.

Board chairman Joe DeFeo may be influenced by his New Jersey roots in thinking ‘Silence is Golden’ on this issue but it isn’t playing well among voters.

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A Christmas Gift for AvCraft?

It’s two weeks til Christmas and Horry County Council is in the gift giving mood to AvCraft again.

This is an act that plays in December almost as regularly as “A Christmas Story.”

And every time it plays it provides another lesson about everything that is wrong with the concept of giving incentives to companies in the name of economic development.

What it really boils down to is corporate welfare.

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Curbing Economic Development Incentive Excesses

A bill prefiled with the S.C. Senate last week could go a long way toward limiting the excesses of economic development incentive agreements between government and private business.

S. 134, with senators Tom Davis and George Campsen as sponsors, would tighten down on not only what, but how governments can give away public money as an economic development incentive.

Most importantly, it would make the process transparent so the taxpayer could see in advance just how much public money is being thrown at a company to relocate, or expand its business.

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Bureaucracy to prevail at expense of the taxpayer

Prefiled S.C. Senate Bills

Ethics reform and a gas tax increase head the bills prefiled in the S.C. Senate December 3rd.

Sen. Larry Martin is again attempting to end the practice of the S.C. House Ethics Committee and the S.C. Senate Ethics Committee from policing members of their own bodies and meeting in secret. Martin is proposing revamping the State Ethics Commission so it will have first look at ethics complaints against state legislators before those complaints go to the House or Senate ethics committees.

Martin’s bill would also require candidates and public officials to disclose more details about their incomes; bring political groups back into the reporting fold for revenue and expenses and tighten laws on how campaign funds may be spent.

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