Friday, March 1, 2013
Both U.S. Senators representing South Carolina and Gov. Nikki Haley help break ground at South Carolina's Inland Port here in the Upstate.
Gov. Nikki Haley was joined by Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. Lindsey Graham in Greer on Friday to celebrate the groundbreaking at South Carolina's Inland Port. Haley said the inland port, which will utilize an existing overnight train service through Norfolk Southern, will spur widespread job creation. She confirmed that she had been in talks with companies interested in locating in the Palmetto State after hearing of the deveopment of the port. The port, centered on Poinsett Street in Greer, is located near BMW and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, and will service double-stack container trains to and from the Port of Charleston's seaport facilities. The port is expected to convert around 25,000 container movements from truck to …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Both approved easily and are expected to pass in the Senate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved two key measures on its docket in a Tuesday afternoon session, moving them both to a full senate vote. The first item was S.308, which would allow persons with a Concealed Weapons Permit to possess a firearm in establishments that sell alcohol, specifically bars and restaurants. See the full bill here. It passed 15-7. Sen. Shane Massey (R - Edgefield), one of the sponsors of the bill, said the biggest stumbling block was the gray area between what is considered a bar and what is considered a restaurant. Establishments such as Applebee's or Wild Wing Cafe were not cut and dry as either bars or restaurants. "The bill needs to have language that makes it clear to everyone," Massey said during the …
Friday, February 15, 2013
Was on the job for 18 months.
The Associated Press has reported that Abraham Turner, the Director of SC Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) has given Gov. Nikki Haley his resignation. Turner is the second agency head to step down in the past three months. The former head of the Department of Revenue, Jim Etter, resigned in the wake of the cybersecurity hack. Turner's resignation is effective March 1. He was on the job since September 2011. The DEW has been under fire since it announced it was reducing person-to-person services in 17 rural counties and laying off more than 100 people. It was subsequently reported that Turner was scheduled to receive a pay raise and that staffers had used resorts for meetings with taxpayer money. House Minority Leader Todd …
Divorce papers filed last week against lobbyist Larry Marchant could refer to Haley.
Three-year-old allegations of an affair between a state lobbyist and Gov. Nikki Haley are resurfacing. Divorce papers filed last week by Larry Marchant's wife claim the lobbyist had a June 2010 affair with a woman "well-known" to the citizens of South Carolina, according to media reports, including The State's. Haley is not named in the divorce papers. Marchant, while working for Haley's Republican challenger Andre Bauer in 2010, filed an affadavit claiming that he had had a one-night stand with then-Rep. Haley in Salt Lake City in June 2010. Haley vehemently denied those allegations, claiming they were politically motivated. Marchant left the Bauer campaign soon after the allegations. But Jennifer Marchant's divorce filings last week have…
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Governor said roads and bridges are an economic and safety issue.
At a press conference with state and industry officials on Thursday afternoon, Gov. Nikki Haley called on the Legislature to invest $100 million into South Carolina's infrastructure. On Friday, the Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) will announce that revenues collected to date have been revised upward to nearly $100 million. Haley believes that money should go toward improving the state's ailing roads and bridges. "This is a way to invest in the state and the citizens of South Carolina without having to raise one single penny in taxes," Haley said. "I don't want this money to go to a museum or a park that does not get us jobs. I want this money drop to go to the 421 bridges in the state that are ready to fall down." In her Executive Budget…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Most of the seats look safe, but a few others are all but certain to be challenged.
Much of the political media’s attention on 2014 has focused on Gov. Nikki Haley’s re-election prospects and on the two senate races that will feature Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, who will both be heavily favored to get re-elected. But down the ticket, in the other statewide constitutional offices, chatter and positioning has already begun. Those offices are (with current occupant—all of whom are Republicans): Loftis and Wilson have been rumored to seek higher office from the time they were sworn in. But Loftis squelched such rumors when he announced last month he’ll run for re-election. Wilson has not disclosed his plans. Neither man should get much of a challenge in a primary or general election. But insiders on both sides of the …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Gov. Haley has suggested that the agency be rolled up into the State Museum, but critics say it would mean the loss of jobs and federal grant money.
Last year Gov. Nikki Haley de-funded the South Carolina Arts Commission when she vetoed its funding in the budget, saying it had bloated administrative expenses. At the time, Haley said that while she appreciated the importance of the arts, its funding was not one of the core functions of government. A massive protest at the Statehouse followed. Both the House and Senate overrode the governor's veto and the Commission was saved. This year, another fight looms. In her executive budget proposal, Haley has suggested the Commission be rolled into the operations of the State Museum, which would eliminate the position of Executive Director while keeping the grants program intact. One of the main functions of the Commission is to give grant money…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Press conference called on the heels of Department of Employment and Workforce announcing closure of offices.
NOTE: This story has been updated to include quotes from the governor's spokesperson and statistics regarding job announcements in rural counties. A group of Democratic legislators blasted Gov. Nikki Haley on Tuesday for yesterday’s announcement that 16 S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) offices would be closing. The announcement according the House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford (D-Richland), shows that Haley has declared “war on the poor, unemployed and those living in rural communities.” But Haley's spokesperson Rob Godfrey resisted that characterization: "Governor Haley has a war on unemployment," Godfrey said. "That's why our economy is roaring back and unemployment in our state has gone done to its lowest level in …
Friday, February 1, 2013
Puts an end to speculation.
One of the most-talked about politicians in the state of South Carolina said Friday he won't run for Senator or Governor in 2014. Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) told The Island Packet that he plans to serve out his term representing Beaufort County through 2016. Among more conservative Republicans, Davis was thought of as the most likely challenger to Lindsey Graham. In November, Davis told Patch that he had no plans to challenge Graham, giving rise to speculation that he could seek the governor's office. But on Friday, Davis put those rumors to rest. In the story, Davis acknowledged that raising enough money to be competitive against Graham would be a full-time job and limit what he could accomplish in the State Senate. He said much the same…
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Met at the Governor's mansion on Wednesday.
One of the major themes of the first two years of Nikki Haley’s tenure as governor has been her frigid—some would call it hostile—relationship with the General Assembly. Better relations between the executive and the legislative branches would almost certainly result in a more productive government for the betterment of the entire state. One area in particular that would benefit is public education. Haley made education funding reform one of the key elements of her State of the State address and made a concerted effort to reach out to the legislature. She followed up on her remarks on Wednesday morning when she invited some key members of both chambers and both parties to the Governor’s Mansion for breakfast. Specifically, Haley wants to …
stanley seigler
7:36 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2013
re: '...a uniquely quick turnaround time from conception to reality. The project was first conceived a year ago and announced last July, and is a 10-year, $1.3 billion investment.' indeed, 'Great job! this is the way government is supposed to work.'...it's investment (aka tax and spend) in the infrastructure anyone know how much of the $1.3B is fed money and if BO's fast track policies helped the… more ›