Williamsburg legislative delegation sworn in, comment on issues

KINGSTREE – Williamsburg’s legislative delegation was sworn in, in a ceremony at the Williamsburg County Courthouse by Judge Billy Jenkinson last Wednesday at 10 a.m. Following the oaths, Senator McGill said, “This is the first time we’ve had a local swearing-in, but the delegation which has always worked in unity has always sought to meet the needs of the citizens. We have a lot of seniority. A lot of districts don’t have this blessing. And with funds being cut, this becomes increasingly important.
Ken Kennedy said it was his tenth term and pledged to continue to “work and do everything we can to improve the lives of our citizens.”
Cathy Harvin said she was privileged to be seat mate to Rep Kennedy. “My late husband had that distinction before me, and I have had to take on the responsibility to keep his extreme emotion and passion about issues as content as possible (laughter). It is such a privilege to me to serve this part of Williamsburg County, whether it be the First Steps group or the work with seniors; I am inspired by the grassroots work here.”
Carl Anderson said, “We are honored to have a woman of her [Harvin’s] caliber to serve with us. Believe it or not, in the House, there are 23 persons who are not coming back. That means that Representative Kennedy, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee will move up in seniority. Senator McGill was number 12 in seniority; now he’s number 10. This strengthens Williamsburg County in the legislature and gives us increased funding.
We just ask that you keep sending us back, until we say we don’t want to go back.
Harvin was sworn on a very large family heirloom Bible that came through the Harvin family. She believed it to be dated in the early 1800s, and was likely from her late husband Alex’s father’s great-great grandmother who was a Manago from Charleston.
After the ceremony each candidate was asked two questions:
What will be your highest priority as you go into the new legislative term?
McGill: “Our highest priority will be constituent service. As you know we represent some 88,000 citizens in Horry, Georgetown, Florence and Williamsburg Counties and constituent service has always been priority one. The appropriations bill will be the number one issue this coming year. We’ve got to make sure we live within a balanced budget. We cannot spend money we simply do not have. Education will also be a big issue this year. The bigger counties want to reshape the formula for funding our schools. About 82% of our funding for Williamsburg County schools comes from federal and state revenue funding, and the balance of that comes from citizens of this county. The push and the pull of the larger counties is to try to take a lot of this money back. We intend to make sure equitable funding continues and is not changed. Education and health care has always been a major priority for us. We’ve got to get through the next one or two years of economic hardship, then rebuild.”
Anderson: “We are in a situation where the economy will need to be looked at very close – we need to continue health care and the education system, while keeping taxes down. That’s my three priorities.”
Harvin: “I am particularly concerned about the property tax legislation we passed last year. There is a provision of accessible transfer of interest that means that when property moves from a deceased spouse to the other spouse, the property will be reassessed. I believe that is unfair, so I will be introducing legislation to protect the property as it moves from spouse to spouse or to first child. Second we need to take a look at outsourcing bridge and road maintanence. Rural areas of South Carolina have completely fallen out with the current system. The current bidding system costs so much money –and, very honestly, tries to assure that our road contractors that are our best friends are the recipients of the work. We need to completely separate the dollars we spend on maintenance from the new construction dollars. The dollars are based on traffic counts which shuts out rural areas. But if we had a bridge collapse it would be a disaster.
Another issue, South Carolina is in jeopardy of losing our licenses for a part of the wireless spectrum. We should use this asset to provide wireless Internet service to all South Carolinians, as well as improve. We already have antenna towers on all our school buildings. We could, for example, have our ambulances quickly transfer images to MUSC to help with emergency treatment of patients. And our students could learn from home just as they do at school. The possibilities are limitless.”
Kennedy: Improving education and the infrastructure are my two priorities. We have some of the worst roads in South Carolina. With the budget restraints, I don’t know how this is going to work, but we’ve got to do it.
Where do you stand on the proposed landfill?
McGill: “I have always stood against accepting out-of-state waste. I took that position twenty years ago. I even took that position when I was mayor of Kingstree. I feel like we need to take care of our own. Out-of-state or out-of-county simply is not good business for the county. We need to be looking at multiple options. We have the option of carrying it to another county under contract. We have the option of creating our own landfill here in the county. We could have a transfer station to transfer to another regional landfill. We’ve got to get the county council to look, not only at the money, but also at the quality of life for the citizens of Williamsburg County.”
Anderson: “I’ve had some calls about the landfill. I serve the citizens of the Nesmith area. My belief is in constituent service. If these citizens do not want the landfill, it should not be pressed upon them.”
Harvin: “I wish I were more knowledgeable on the landfill issue. It is difficult for me to find a comfort level with it. We have the GSX landfill that sits on top of the aquifer that serves Clarenden, Berkeley and Charleston Counties. This one, as I understand will only have non-toxic waste. So, as long as there is a commitment for an ending, and it will be sealed. It is always unfortunate for those who neighbor it, but I certainly support responsible disposal of waste.”
Kennedy: We have to have a way to dispose of our garbage; sending it outside the county is a very expensive proposition. This is a county issue and I’ve tried to stay out of it. The county government needs to move with this though, or the citizens will be paying a higher millage. We have one of the highest millage rates in the state, and this makes it hard to attract some types of industry. Times are tough.