Endorsements – November 2010

Here are my endorsements for this year’s general election. All races are on the ballot at least somewhere in Dorchester County, but I’ve included a few that won’t be on my ballot (Stallsville Precinct, ballot style #16) because of my familiarity with the candidates, races, and/or issues. Whatever you do, get out there and vote tomorrow. Whether your ancestors were white Englishmen who fought in the Revolution, African slaves and African-American civil rights pioneers, women enduring police brutality to secure the right to vote, or immigrants braving shipwreck and disease and hunger and thirst to become American citizens, men and women have bled and died so that you can stand in line tomorrow and cast your ballot. The polls are open from 7am to 7pm, and if you can’t make it during that time due to work, disability, illness, travel, or family emergency (or if you’re over 65), you can still vote absentee today. No excuses. See http://www.dorchestervotes.org for more information.

Governor – Vincent Sheheen

Endorsed by the typically conservative S.C. Chamber of Commerce and a number of Republicans disgruntled with his opponent Nikki Haley, State Sen. Sheheen is a moderate Democrat who is likely to work with the General Assembly more harmoniously than term-limited current Gov. Mark Sanford or Sanford’s protege Haley. At a time when economic development and job creation are at the top of the next governor’s agenda, being likable and able to work with a great variety of people and institutions are key qualities. Sen. Sheheen is also committed to public education and conservation, but flexible when it comes to working out solutions. He also happens to be pro-life, yet dedicated to reducing the incidence of abortion through supporting pregnant women and beleaguered families – not just installing additional hoops for abortion-seekers to jump through.

Lieutenant Governor – Ashley Cooper

Attorney General – Matthew Richardson

Superintendent of Education – Frank Holleman

As those of you who keep up with me on Facebook know, I think this may be the most important race in the state this year. Mick Zais, the Republican nominee, firmly backs a tax credit plan that would amount to giving out vouchers to some students to enroll in private or sectarian schools. SCISA, an association of private and religious schools, endorses Zais, but their main goal (as stated in their endorsement letter to member headmasters) is to win back students whose parents have had to pull them out of private schools because of financial hardship. The private schools are unprepared (and unwilling) to handle the deluge of students, many with learning disabilities and behavioral problems, from failing schools who would seek to use their credits there. Unlike charter and magnate schools, private schools accepting tax credits would not be required to accept students on a random or first-come-first-served basis. They would not be obligated to teach special education students or students with a history of behavioral issues or students several grade-levels behind. They would not have to admit representative percentages of students of various racial backgrounds. Meanwhile, the tax credit program would cost many millions of dollars – leaving the public school system without the resources to serve students who are not accepted by private schools or whose parents choose to leave them where they are.

Dr. Zais has no direct experience in public K-12 education, but Dr. Frank Holleman has spent his entire career working with public schools, mostly in South Carolina. One look at his website (www.hollemanforeducation.com) should convince you of his thorough knowledge of the S.C. public school system and his many innovative ideas. Dr. Holleman has read the research and knows that academic preschool is key to closing the achievement gaps due to race, socio-economic status, and education level of a child’s parents. Rather than wasting money on tax credits, he wants to make good-quality preschool available to every at-risk child, and eventually to any child whose parents want to enroll them. (Whatever scare tactics conservatives may use, Dr. Holleman has never proposed making preschool mandatory and has no plans to do so.)

I can’t think of a race with as stark differences between the two major candidates as this one. I urge you to think about what the goals of public education in this state should be, read about the candidates, and vote carefully!

Comptroller General – Richard Barber

Secretary of State – Marjorie Johnson

U.S. Senate – Nathalie Dupree (write-in)

I cannot in good conscience vote for either Jim DeMint or Alvin Greene. One third-party candidate (the Green Party’s nominee Tom Clements) and several candidates waging write-in campaigns have recommended themselves to fill the obvious void in this race. I am not entirely satisfied with any of them, but I am going to write in local celebrity chef Nathalie Dupree rather than the name of a friend or some individual who doesn’t have a formal write-in campaign because the less scattered the votes against DeMint are, the worse DeMint’s probable victory will look, in my opinion. Ms. Dupree is certainly familiar with South Carolina, and particularly the Charleston area, and her major issue is getting money for a study necessary to deepen the port of Charleston, one of the main engines of the state’s economy. (Sen. DeMint has refused to support this step as part of his grand-standing opposition to earmarks.) While Ms. Dupree’s website doesn’t have much on it, she’s at least serious about the campaign and the issues (she’s put in quite a bit of her own money, apparently), and in a race that DeMint will almost certainly win, that’s enough to convince me to vote for her in hopes of embarrassing the sitting senator as much as possible.

U.S. House of Representatives – Rob Groce

This rather bizarre seven-way race (in the first Congressional district) has been a tough one for many Democrats. Like Alvin Greene, Ben Frasier was a surprise, dark-horse winner of the Democratic nomination in June. But unlike Greene, Frasier has not been indicted on obscenity charges and has actually done some campaigning. Mr. Frasier claims that the Democrats who have deserted him for third-party choices are doing so out of racist motives, and indeed I don’t see any point in questioning the legitimacy of his win at this point (except as part of a broader investigation into our state’s voting machines). But the fact is that Mr. Frasier has publicly proclaimed a great number of positions that are diametrically opposed to those of most Democrats: he is anti-union, favors dramatic increases in defense spending, and favors an Arizona-style immigration law for South Carolina and at the federal level. He also comes across as rather vindictive about his win (and lack of support from many Democrats) following 30-plus years of unsuccessful runs for office.

Full disclosure: Rob Groce is my good friend. But although I probably have a personal bias, I think it’s fair to say he’s the real Democrat in the race, though he is running on the Working Families ticket. Mr. Groce is not a politically ambitious man, and he is as humble and down-to-earth as can be. But when Mr. Frasier won the primary and it became clear that there was no representative of Democratic values in the race, Mr. Groce felt it his duty to get involved. He stands for workers’ rights, benefits and a living wage for hard-working South Carolinians, public education, good jobs, and our veterans. He’s discussing issues other candidates in the race haven’t touched, and he’s a smart guy with some innovative solutions. Please don’t let Tim Scott win this one in a landslide because of uncertainty and division among those who oppose him.

State House District 98 – Christine Jackson

County Council District 3 – Kenny Waggoner

County Council District 7 – Tim Patrick

Okay, so Tim Patrick is a friend of mine, too. He worked very hard this summer to get on the ballot as an independent; there is no Democrat in the race. The Republican, Jay Byars, is cozy with the real estate industry and has not shown a commitment to smart, controlled growth for our county, whose services are overburdened already. We need more jobs in-county, not more residents who use our roads and send their children to our overcrowded schools but work elsewhere. Mr. Patrick, a young family man and Navy veteran who lives in Wescott Plantation, has some great ideas for planning communities with ample roads, parks, and grocery stores close to houses. He supports small businesses. Especially if Dorchester residents approve the local question and task County Council with developing a plan for county parks and recreation, Mr. Patrick would be a great choice to help spearhead that effort, with his knowledge of sustainable, livable communities that are good for both businesses and families.

School Board (Dorchester District 2) – Frances Townsend, Charlie Stoudenmire, Harry Blake, and Gail Hughes

Amendment 1 – No

Amendment 2 – No

Amendment 3 – Yes

Amendment 4 – No

Local Question – Yes

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