LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Florence voters need to vote for Rocky Pearce
Published: September 23, 2008
Updated: October 25, 2008
The recent controversy that surrounds the Florence mayoral race has led me to ask:
Why is the Florence electorate so complacent with the result of a race that was obviously altered by the incompetence and ineptness of the Florence electoral commission?
The ensuing confusion resulted from uninformed poll workers mistakenly telling registered voters that if these individuals voted in the coinciding Republican primaries, they would not be allowed to vote in the Democratic primary for mayor of Florence.
With the absence of a Republican nominee for mayor, the election rules state that people who voted on the Republican ballot in other races would also be allowed to vote in the democratic mayoral race.
The vast majority of Republican voters would have chosen the more moderate Democratic incumbent, Frank Willis.
Subsequently, many Republican voters were disfranchised and denied their fundamental right to vote. Since this election was decided by a mere one vote, Stephen Wukela is nothing more than an illegitimate Democratic nominee for mayor of Florence.
Upon learning that Mr. Wukela would be challenging the Democratic incumbent, I was interested in the unsullied political discourse he would bring to the table.
However, upon watching the mayoral debate, I was rather dismayed at the partisan hackery that Wukela displayed. He continuously towed the party line and appeared more interested in invoking the democratic ideology rather than focusing on the more important issues at hand. Wukela repeatedly mentioned the dilapidated, decaying state of East Florence, which did little more than state the obvious rather than to bestow any solutions. Wukela is obviously an ambitious politician who has his sights set on higher office. If he is so interested in partisan politics, maybe he should consider running against the “earmark king,” Congressman James Clyburn.
Wukela will hopefully see a backlash from an angry electorate come November when independent Rocky Pearce challenges him for mayor.
Austin M. Smith
Florence
Reader Reactions
“WRITE IN…“
Dude, he’s no longer got any interest in the position. If he were, he’d be spending his last days in office trying to fulfill his promises to the citizens of Florence instead of finding ways to *bleep* off. I’m sure he thinks Rocky’s got a fat chunk of “Ed Robinson money” waiting for him to be top consultant to that award winning coalition of his. What a joke!
This was reviewed so many times by so many different groups all the way up through the State Supremem court and you still call some sort of conspiracy. I have a wholesale supplier of tin-foil hats if you ever need some new ones.
You feel disenfranchised, get your group together and WRITE IN Frank Willis.
The Florence electorate HAS spoken. It’s you who cannot accept the results. Rocky Pearce is nothing more than the proxy for a defeated Frank Willis, sponsored by none other than Ed Robinson & his croney, Billy D. Williams. All the citizens of Florence need to do to have more of the same is listen to your arguments & select your candidate on election day.
I am ready for a change that will get the dirt out from under the carpet, and put an end to back room deals, favoritism, and divisiveness in our community, which right now is masquerading as government. Take a drive around town to see where all the Pearce signs are popping up, and you’ll see who profits by maintaining the status quo. While Stephen Wukela tries to build & unite, the folks supporting Rocky haven’t a clue what goes on for real in the abandoned warehouses and the Liberty Streets of our city. And they could not care less - until they find out one of the kids who’s accused of it happens to live in a neighborhood very much like theirs…heaven forbid he should live near them on Damon Drive!
Don’t believe what this guy is trying to sell you. The SC Supreme Court has also spoken, and NO ONE was “disenfranchised” by this process. Mr. Wukela IS the legitimate democratic candidate. One need only ask just where in the heck was Rocky during the primary process; or for that matter, for the decade-and-a-half since Willis beat HIM? He was in the money making business. Money & power motivate him, not a desire to serve & build this community into what it could be for everyone who lives here.
Vote for real change in November; Vote for Wukela!
Your entire letter is replete with unsubstantiated speculation about the election.
If you have proof of your allegations, by all means, produce it in concrete form.
Your interpretation of the mayoral debate is also peculiarly your own.
You offer nothing of substance that would warrant voting for Pearce’s brand of politics.
Accept the Supreme Court’s resolution of the matter and vote your conscience, but don’t use this deplorable method in a insipid attempt to sully Wukela’s character.
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