Author: Paul Gable

Loftis and the High Cost of Political Courage

What happens when a newly elected South Carolina official tries to bring openness and accountability to the management of the state’s retirement system investment commission?

He finds himself in the news after “documents” are leaked, to the Associated Press, in which a possible “pay to play” scheme is mentioned and a SLED investigation is requested by the SC Attorney General’s office.

Looking at it another way, S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis finds himself in a political knife fight for trying to buck South Carolina’s “good ol’ boy” system.

Loftis has been a critic of the management of the state’s pension fund for much of his 13 months as treasurer. On January 31, 2012, Loftis outlined problems associated with the pension fund during testimony to the Senate Finance Retirement Committee.

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County Employees Could See Pay Raise

Horry County employees have not had a raise in the past three budget years, but that could change in the upcoming year. A majority of council members currently seem inclined to include an employee pay raise in the FY 2013 budget.

The county has weathered three difficult budget years and is currently running an approximately $9 million surplus in this year’s budget. It’s not that revenues are making a real comeback, it’s more that county government has significantly cut expenses over the past three years.

Much of the blame for local budget shortfall in the past three years can be laid at the feet of the state General Assembly. When Act 388 was passed in 2006, eliminating owner occupied homes from property taxes that funded school operating budgets, the state raised the sales tax one penny, promising to fund school operating costs from the state budget.

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Live from Indianapolis, Super Bowl Week

(Editor’s note: This post was submitted by a Horry County native who now writes for a daily newspaper in the Indianapolis, Indiana suburban market. As he is also my son, I asked him to share his thoughts on covering his first Super Bowl Week with Grand Strand Daily.)

As a young sports fan in middle and high school, I rooted for Deion Sanders at Florida State and Michael Irvin with the Cowboys. Tuesday I got to meet both up close and personal as we all now share the tag “media” at the events in and around Lucas Oil Stadium this week in the run up to Super Bowl XLVI Sunday.

Sanders and Irvin were both great athletes, but they are even better as human beings – funny, witty, down to earth and more than willing to share a little time talking with those of us covering our first Super Bowl Week.

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New Policy Needed for County Transportation Committee Funds

The spotlight that shined last week on the controversial proposed paving of Goldmine Road illuminated the need for a new policy governing the way state transportation “C” funds are disbursed and used in Horry County.

“C” funds come from 2.66 cents of the 16 cents per gallon state tax on gasoline and are apportioned to the counties according to a formula established in state law. They are collected by the S.C. Department of Revenue and Taxation and are deposited in the County Transportation Fund in the state Treasury until they are disbursed.

According to state law, 25 percent of the funds must be spent on the state highway system for construction, maintenance or improvements of state roads. The remainder may be spent for paving or improving local roads, traffic and street signs, road resurfacing, sidewalk construction and drainage improvements.

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Prosser Signs Pledge To Refuse Tax Increases

Former Sanford PRT Director and Horry County Council Chairman Chad Prosser signed the Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge.” The pledge binds the signer to oppose income tax increases during their time in Congress. Prosser also announced his participation in two forums today where voters can come out to hear how he will bring his experiences gained in both private and public sector management to bear in reforming Washington.

“I’m running for Congress because I have a track record in managing successful businesses, bringing conservative reform to government and ending irresponsible fiscal policies,“ said Prosser. “I applaud Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform for working to hold Washington politicians accountable and forcing them to go on the record against reckless tax increases. With our economy in the shape it is in, the last thing Americans need is tax increases.”

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Political Profile – Gloria Bromell Tinubu, PhD

We’ve all heard the old saying ‘you can’t go home again.’ Gloria Bromell Tinubu not only has come home, but she intends to make home bigger, better and more fruitful as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the new 7th Congressional District seat.

“I came to South Carolina in August for a visit and decided to come back home,” said Bromell Tinubu. “I talked to some people and the subject turned to politics. The more I talked to people, the more excited I became. I decided in December to run for the open seat because I felt in my heart that it was something I was supposed to do.”

An applied economist, educator, and public servant, Tinubu has 34 years of experience as an economist and community leader.

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SC 7th CD candidates meet and greet

LITCHFIELD, SC – The nine Republican candidates running for the new 7th Congressional seat in South Carolina took part in a meet and greet with voters Thursday in Georgetown County.

The event took about three hours because of the amount of candidates. Each campaign set up a table in the lobby of the Tara Theater at Litchfield Beach Resort.

During that time the candidates took questions from voters. Then in a more formal portion of the event, each candidate took to the stage for ten minutes.

First up was former SC Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. Bauer called the campaign a job interview and said that he hopes to be the voice of the 7th district in Washington.

Bauer said he will make tough decisions to create jobs and cut waste in Congress.

Retired businessman and Surfside resident Dick Withington spoke next. He brought props on to the stage including a sword to illustrate his military experience and a whip to show his displeasure with what some congressmen are doing.

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Council Approves AvCraft Incentives

Horry County Council approved a $100,000 incentive package and reduced rental on three hangars at Myrtle Beach International Airport for AvCraft Technical Services, Inc., during its regular meeting Tuesday night.

The vote was 8-3 with council members Jody Prince, Carl Schwartzkopf and Marion Foxworth voting nay and council member James Frazier absent.

The incentive package calls for AvCraft to add 150 employees within the next five years. This is the first job development package introduced by the newest version of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation and its CEO Brad Lofton. When Lofton was hired in April 2011, he signed a contract to produce 500 new jobs in 18 months.

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Chad Prosser Announces for Congress in SC-7

Former Sanford Cabinet Member and Horry County Council Chairman Looks to Change Washington

Chad Prosser announced today that he will seek the Republican nomination for South Carolina’s new 7th Congressional District. Prosser is a proven leader, job creator and conservative reformer who is tired of what is coming out of Washington.

Prosser served as the director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism under Governor Mark Sanford. Serving under the most fiscally conservative governor in a generation, Prosser brought accountability and efficiency to the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Prosser followed Governor Sanford’s no-nonsense approach to fiscal conservatism and public accountability, reforming the agency and discarding notions in favor of sweeping changes. Prosser’s reforms saved taxpayer dollars and increased tourism, helping small businesses and creating private sector jobs.

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Council Votes on AvCraft Incentives Tuesday

Horry County Council will vote on approving a $100,000 incentive package and formalizing a reduced rental agreement for AvCraft Technical Services, Inc. at its regular meeting Tuesday night.

Council reconsidered the $100,000 incentive package after initially approving it for a code named company. When AvCraft was named as the recipient in late December 2011, some council members moved to reconsider the approval based on AvCraft’s past employment history.

The new incentive package calls for AvCraft to add an additional 150 jobs to its current work force, which is approximately 57 full-time employees.

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