By John Warren, special to Statehouse Report | I am a businessman and a Marine who firmly believes that we need conservative leaders running our state government who have been successful in the private sector. Our state needs people who don’t just talk about creating jobs, but business leaders who have actually done it. We need people who don’t just talk about standing for the American flag, but people who have fought and have been willing to die for the American flag.
I’m running for governor because I believe we can do a lot better than our current slate of elected officials. While there are some public servants in state government, Columbia is filled to the brim with career politicians and political insiders who are serving themselves and not the taxpayers. We deserve better from our leaders.
After September 11, I felt called to serve our country in the United States Marine Corps, and in 2006, my platoon was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, to root out Al Qaeda terrorists. I led over 300 combat missions and my platoon was successful in bringing security to a dangerous place.
Just as I followed the call to serve our country in the Marines, I felt called to build a business in South Carolina. In 2010, I founded Lima One Capital that provides lending to real estate investors. Our company employs hundreds of people across the country and we have been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the state. I am proud to say that more than 80 of our employees are based right here in South Carolina.
I now want to embark on a new mission – to serve and lead our state as governor. For far too long, the same types of career politicians and political insiders have run for office in South Carolina. And, for far too long, we have seen meager results.
From Santee Cooper to education to taxes to infrastructure, South Carolina faces significant challenges over the next decade. We need someone who has the leadership skills necessary to take those challenges head on and build a vision for the future of our state.
My mission is to bring the same business and leadership principles that I implemented in building Lima One Capital to transform our state government. It starts with cleaning up the corruption.
The people of South Carolina deserve a governor they can trust. I have proposed a comprehensive ethics plan including term limits for legislators, income disclosures for elected officials and political appointees, a ban of the former agency directors receiving no-bid contracts, and forcing convicted legislators to pay for the special elections to replace them.
Implementing these reforms comes down to leadership, and in my experience as a businessman and a Marine, leadership comes down to three characteristics: character, competence and courage. The character to stand on conservative principles, the competence to do the job well and the courage to fight against the status quo.
We need more elected officials who display and embody those leadership traits – not more pandering, incompetence and bending in the wind. Leadership means making the tough decisions to protect the taxpayers even when the special interests are trying to stop you.
I’m running for governor to fight for the taxpayer and I ask you to join our mission in reforming state government.
John Warren, a former Marine officer deployed to Iraq, is founder and CEO of Lima One Capital, a specialty mortgage finance company that lends in more than 40 states. More: http://warrenforgovernor.com/
EDITOR’S NOTE: Through June 12, Statehouse Report is running opinion pieces by gubernatorial candidates with primary challengers. Five Republicans and three Democratic candidates for governor have been invited to submit messages they want to share with voters.
Recent candidate contributors
- GOP, McGill: South Carolina is worth fighting for (April 19)
- GOP, Templeton: “The called me the ‘Buzzsaw’” (May 3)
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!