SUNDAY'S EDITORIAL

By T&D Staff

Harrell will be content as speaker

THE ISSUE: The new speaker and politics

OUR OPINION: Charlestonian has no reason to challenge Sanford

It was a day of political intrigue during which Orangeburg was hearing from a key player.

In the state capital on Tuesday, Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum was confirming the speculation that she would not seek re-election to the post. Hers was an announcement bound to fuel the fires of those suggesting she is the strongest Democratic candidate to challenge Republican Gov. Mark Sanford next year.

Tenenbaum, who lost a bid this past year to Jim DeMint for a U.S. Senate seat, would not say she is considering a run for the Governor's Mansion. Some of that may depend on the status of Aiken Sen. Tommy Moore's candidacy.

In the wake of continuing rumors, some being fed by Democratic Party opponents, Moore this past week went so far as to issue a statement denying he plans an exit from the race that presently features him and Florence Mayor Frank Willis.

In Orangeburg, the focus was on the other side of the aisle and the more intriguing possibility that Sanford could face a serious challenge from within his own party.

Orangeburg-born Charleston lawmaker Bobby Harrell is the new speaker of the S.C. House, having succeeded longtime Speaker David Wilkins when Wilkins became U.S. ambassador to Canada.

Harrell is a rising star in the Republican Party, and he most recently has spoken out about Sanford's failure on the economic development front. He's considered a Republican insider who some key players would like to see challenge Sanford.

It's just not going to happen.

Speaking to Rotary and Kiwanis clubs here, Harrell made no secret of his enthusiasm for taking over as speaker. He identified key issues for the upcoming session and said he intends to make something happen in areas such as property tax reform and economic development.

While the Legislature and Sanford clashed a year ago on property tax reform (the governor wanted income taxes cut instead), the property tax will be the priority this time. And don't look for Sanford to be an obstacle.

On the economy, Harrell has high praise for a scaled-down Commerce Department, saying the key is transforming our economy into one not relying on manufacturing. The state is attracting new jobs at a pace equivalent to the past, but the manufacturing jobs are being lost faster than new jobs are created. Sanford has long focused on a transformation of the economy.

And Harrell said the relationship between the General Assembly and Sanford is not nearly so bad as portrayed. He said most of Sanford's priorities win the day in the House but have trouble in the Senate. In other words, Harrell and the Republicans have delivered.

And delivering from the podium in the House is exactly what Harrell plans to do for the foreseeable future. It's a position that allows the Charlestonian to be the part-time lawmaker he says he wants to be while exercising immense influence.

In fact, it's not hard to remember the time when most of the politically astute in South Carolina would tell you flat out that the speaker has more power than the governor. With Harrell at the helm it may be that way again in 2005, as key Republicans including the speaker will line up with Sanford, who will need their active support and will owe some political favors for getting it.

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