Prominent Leaders Support Senator Rose

Published Wednesday, June 06, 2012 7:58 AM

Summerville Journal Scene ®

Claims by Bennett supporters that political and business leaders do not support Senator Rose are ludicrous and patently false. On the contrary, the quality and amount of local support for the re-election of Senator Rose are truly impressive. Consider the following:

At a fundraising event for Senator Rose on May 21 at the home of Dr. Bob and Kathy Randall I heard Lt. Gov. (until recently Senate President Pro Tempore) Glenn McConnell praise Sen Rose’s effectiveness as a legislator, explaining that Sen Rose actively reads, understands, questions and participates in the making of bills in the Senate. Treasurer Curtis Loftis and Sen Chip Campsen voiced similar praise. Sen Campsen explained that, unlike many legislators, Sen Rose was a “doer” not a “be-er”, meaning Sen Rose was there to get positive things done, not just to “be” a Senator with a title. A letter read from Speaker Bobby Harrell said about Sen Rose, “It is a pleasure to work with you in the SC General Assembly. Your hard work and determination for the people of the low country and our state are evident in all the work you do in the Senate. I look forward to continuing to work with you in the General Assembly in the years to come.” Mayor Keith Summey’s letter read at the event described Sen Rose as a “champion for our region” who has “a true grasp on what makes the private sector tick”, and said “I am truly proud to have you representing the City of North Charleston” and “look forward to working with you during your next term of office.”

Public official listed on an invitation as Honorary Chairman or on the Sponsor Committee for that event include Gov Nikki Haley (who also was keynote speaker for Sen Rose at a Miler County Club breakfast); Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom (whose published a letter entitled “Senator Rose Excels as Legislator”); Treasurer Curtis Loftis (who published a letter calling Sen Rose an “Ally in the fight for good government”); Sen Hugh Leatherman, Chairman, Senate Finance; Sen Harvey Peeler, Senate Republican Caucus Leader; Rep. Chip Limehouse, Chairman, Charleston Legislative Delegation; Senators Paul Campbell, Larry Grooms, Chip Campsen and Tom Davis; Dorchester County Councilmen David Chinnis, Larry Hargett and Richard Rosebrock; Summerville Town Councilmen Kima Garten-Schmidt and Bob Jackson; Dorchester School District 2 Trustees Tanya Robinson and Charles Stoudenmire; DD2 Superintendent Joe Pye; and North Charleston City Councilmen Ron Brinson and Dwight Stigler.

Private business leaders also listed on the invitation include Robert V. Royall, Jr., former SC Secretary of Commerce, bank CEO, US Ambassador to Tanzania; Jim & Bonnie Banks; Loren & John Bethea; Buford Blanton; Paul Bolen; Taylor and Randy Charpia; Murray Compton; Dr. Otis Engelman; Ted French; Stan Hall; Pat & John Krisel; Dr. Craig Little; Dr. James McCoy; Ted McCoy; Doug McElveen; Richard Miler; Dr. Jim Muscott; Tom Myers; Dr. Britt Reagan; Hal Rigby; Jim Rooney; Ken Seeger; Linda & Peter Shelbourne; Mike Taylor; Jack Tupper; Ron Turner; Bob Whitten; Bill Yarborough; Ted Creech; Chip Allen; Steve Hill; and Pete Wyckoff.

Desperate people sometimes do and say desperate things. Claims that Bennett should replace Senator Rose because of relationships are ridiculous and seem desperate given Senator Rose’s support from and already excellent relationships with so many important political and business leaders.

Bonnie Banks

S Main St

Distorted Information

Published Wednesday, June 06, 2012 8:15 AM

Summerville Journal Scene ®

Dear Editor,

I felt compelled to comment on Sean Bennett’s most recent flyer received this past Saturday. For those who took the time to read this flyer which addressed such critically important issues facing Dorchester County such as the State Retirement Pension System and how much money Dorchester County provides Senator Rose for his district office expenses, I could only wonder where Mr. Bennett was going with all of this. His main focus has been economic development for the County. In his flyer, Bennett was very critical of Senator Rose for getting about $12K a year from the County to help cover expenses for his district office. To set the record straight, State law requires all 46 Counties to either provide office space and staffing for their legislative delegations or provide legislators a monthly payment in lieu of office/staff which is based on a formulated equation. Dorchester County, like Berkley County, has opted to make a payment in lieu of office/staff to our delegation members. This is more cost effective for Dorchester County than financing an office space and staff, like Charleston County does for over $200K per year. Mr. Bennett obviously did not know this or failed to disclose this fact in his flyer because he made it seem Senator Rose was getting a “special perk” that no one else gets. Our former Senators and House Members got this same “perk” when in office and current members of our Legislative Delegation (Horne, Murphy and Knight) get this same “perk”, rather payment, in lieu of office/staff the same as Senator Rose does. All provided by the tax payers of Dorchester County. Should Bennett’s criticism of this mandated payment plan apply to all members of the Legislative Delegation or just Senator Rose, as his flyer addresses? Bennett failed to fully qualify this as he was reaching to make whatever point it was he was trying to make.

Bennett further states as fact in his flyer that Senator Rose takes part in some sort of “special state pension” that “no one else can have”. Bennett calls it a “sweet deal”. Senator Rose did not design or take part in the creation of the State Retirement Pension System. Every legislator in Columbia, including members of our local Legislative Delegation, participates in the same system and the rules apply equally to all. I guess this was something, again, that Bennett did not know or failed to mention as he was reaching for some sort of traction. Is Bennett criticizing all the members of our Legislative Delegation for participating in the Retirement System or just Senator Rose? Bennett further states that this “special State pension” is costing the taxpayers $250 million each year. Where does he get this number and for what reason? If all of our 170 State legislators were able to retire tomorrow and collect, say, $30K a year in pension, that would only amount to just a bit over $5 million a year. Where does the $250 million figure come from? What point is Bennett trying to make? Did you know Senator Rose does NOT receive a Senate salary. He does receive a pension which he began receiving before his re-election in 2008.

I would want to believe that every voter should expect a candidate to provide accurate information in an un-distorted manner so the right decision can be made when deciding on how to cast their vote. If a voter has concerns about a statement made or information provided by a candidate, they should take the initiative to contact the candidate or do their own homework to get the facts straight. My support is going to Senator Rose who does get his facts straight!

Hal Rigby

Salisbury Drive

Correcting Bennett’s Exaggerations

Published Wednesday, June 06, 2012 8:09 AM

Summerville Journal Scene ®

When I attended my 9th grade English class at Summerville High, I learned about a term called “hyperbole” (which, simply put, means exaggerating the truth). So when a 2-sided full-color mailer filled with salacious claims about Senator Mike Rose arrived in my mailbox, my first response was to cut through the hyperbole and get to the simple truth. One of the sources cited on the mailer claimed information came from a “May 1, 2012 interview with Summerville Patch.” While searching for the interview, I discovered a March 9, 2012 (updated March 24, 2012) P&C reference:

Many pension records now kept secret would become open to the public under a bill filed in the S.C. Senate. Sen. Mike Rose, R-Summerville, introduced legislation that would treat government pension records like public salary records, which already are available. Thanks to Senator Rose, there will be greater transparency in “pension numbers [once] kept hidden by legislators.

Also, thank you for pointing out that Senator Rose has provided a portion of his own home as office space. Even after he has served the primary part of his week in Columbia, attended countless state, local, and community functions and meetings, he still has the capacity to make himself available at all hours to meet with and conduct official business on behalf of his constituents. I am glad he has such a gracious and understanding wife who also welcomes and supports his work and his constituency!

Finally, when I used to work for a Fortune 500 Company, I learned the term “cooking the books,” which was just another way of saying making numbers show something that was not authentic. Well, when the mailer seems to present Senator Rose as if he is the personal recipient of “$250 Million every year,” my immediate thought was that not only do those numbers look “cooked,” but I can almost smelled a roasted pig, to boot! I am told that the average American has what is the equivalent of an 8th grade reading level, so I imagine that when this 9th grade tactic was used by the Bennett campaign, the rationale could have been that the average person could see through the exaggeration to get to the truth.

Ann Middleton

Orangeburg Road

Summerville

Re-Elect Mike Rose

Published Friday, May 18, 2012 8:25 AM

Summerville Journal Scene ®

Dear Editor,

Every year, mishaps involving buried pipelines and cables kill people and threaten communities across the country. Near-misses and incorrect information about the location of these lines put additional burdens upon public safety agencies, increase the costs of construction projects and delay the completion of much needed highway projects.

While most states toughen the laws regarding underground utility safety only after a tragedy occurs, South Carolina recently updated its laws, which had been considered the oldest and most obsolete in the nation, before a disaster could occur. Leading the way in advancing much-needed reform legislation to tackle this vital public safety issue was Dorchester County’s State Senator Mike Rose.

As a safety professional in the state’s construction industry, I approached Senator Rose about the need to act on this issue. Concerned about the need to act before a tragedy occurred, he worked with concerned parties to help draft legislation that led to the long-overdue reform of these laws. I was impressed with his willingness to listen, appreciation of the dangers, and the hard work he put in to ensuring a good bill was drafted and received a fair hearing in the State Senate.

Last year, the final result of these efforts received final passage in both the House and Senate unanimously, reforming laws which had not been updated since the 1970s. Much of the credit should go to Senator Rose, who saw a major problem in the making and worked hard to address it before the problem led to a major disaster.

There are some issues which can be easily identified through partisan labels, but avoiding disasters and saving lives are issues where labels such as “conservative”, “liberal” , “extreme” or “RINO” don’t usually apply. While Senator Rose is a proud conservative and is driven by those convictions, he’s smart enough to know not every issue has a partisan label and works hard to consider each issue on its relative merits before making a decision, such as this and other legislation vital to public and workplace safety. This is the kind of forward-thinking leadership that we need more of in our state’s politics and it’s one great reason why Senator Rose has earned another term in the Senate.

W. Earl Capps

Robert Drive

Ladson