Thumbs up
Haley. It was a great week for Gov. Nikki Haley. Thumbs up this week to the governor for standing firm on the need to block cell phone signals at state prisons and for how it would be bad for the state to approve a discriminatory “bathroom bill” introduced this week by state Sen. Lee Bright that mimics a recently-signed North Carolina law. Also — hats off to the governor for aptly describing the dispute between Attorney General Alan Wilson and Solicitor David Pasco as an “embarrassing mess” brought on by Wilson and his staff.
Massey, Peeler. Kudos to GOP state Sen. Shane Massey of Edgefield County for being elected the new Senate majority leader and to Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, for 11 years of service in the same post.
New senator. Congratulations to Mike Gambrell, the Honea Path Republican who won a runoff election this week to replace the late Sen. Billy O’Dell.
S.C. State. What good news for the historically black public college that it looks like it will have a budget surplus in June after years of serious financial problems.
North Charleston. Traffic stops are half of what they were in the city last year when the unarmed Walter Scott was shot to death by a police officer. More.
In the middle
DOT. On the upside, the legislature is still talking about how to fix the state’s roads. On the bad, a new audit says there are serious governance issues and more money is needed than what lawmakers are considering if they want to really do the job.
Thumbs down
Bright. Ummm, state Sen. Lee Bright ain’t so bright for trying to institutionalize discrimination.
Smear campaign. The behind-the-scenes politicking that surrounds the Wilson-Pascoe “mess” is troubling, to say the least.
Number: 35
That’s the percentage of primary roads that could be brought up to good condition, prevent further decay, reduce deficient bridges and address congestion — if the state Department of Transportation had an extra $400 million annually over the next decade, according to DOT Secretary Christy Hall. According to this story, “t would take an $800 million investment annually before any scenario that widens interstate miles.”
Quote: Haley in 2012 on Bright: We need to reward him
“We went around Wisconsin [campaigning for Scott Walker] and we told everybody that courage matters. And we said when you do the right thing, we need to reward the people for doing it. Lee Bright has done the right thing every single time. … Don’t get rid of the good ones; we worked hard to get him in there.”
— Gov. Nikki Haley giving a strong endorsement for controversial Sen. Lee Bright in his 2012 re-election campaign. See the video. This week, Haley criticized Bright for introducing a bill that would force people to use bathrooms associated with the sex with which they were born.
Quote: Malloy fights back on Haley’s criticism
“It was not too long ago that the Ethics Committee in the South Carolina House of Representatives whitewashed hearings on Rep. Nikki Haley for her failure to disclose her own income. I find it very funny that she has the time to post on social media when our roads and bridges are falling apart, our schools are not being fully funded, and rural hospitals are closing because of her failed leadership. I respectfully ask Gov. Haley to stop being a hypocrite and step up to the plate to address the serious challenges we face in South Carolina.”
— State Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, responding to a blistering criticism by Gov. Nikki Haley that he and Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster for striking an amendment to an ethics reform bill that would require elected officials to disclose any private sources of income. More.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!