The contest between incumbent Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, and challenger Warren Arthur for S.C. Senate District 29 is on once again as the former attempts to secure the seat, which was won during a special election in 2002 to fill the unexpired term of former Sen. Edward E. Saleeby Sr. who died the previous July.
Arthur, a Republican, ran against Malloy then and is back in an effort to make his first foray back into state-level politics in almost two decades.
Warren Arthur:
Q: How would you address ongoing problems with the state budget?
A: “There seems to be two things that basically have a stranglehold on part of the budget and that’s education and Medicaid, which squeezes the rest of the budget. It’s much too tight and needs some relief. One thing that I still believe is the best thing to do is to divert some lottery money into the education budget, which would relieve the other areas.
The people I talk to can’t understand why lottery money is not going where it’s needed the most, and that’s K-12.
Although we still have to address the needs that we have, but I’m sure we’re going to have an increase in the revenue because the economy’s getting better.”
Q: What would you do to attract more growth and economic development to District 29?
A: “According to the polls economic development is the number-one issue in the state of South Carolina. One of the differences between my opponent and me is that I’m going to make a full-time commitment to serving. I don’t’ have any miracle solutions to economic development or education, but I’m going to be available to see industries and work with people, letting them know that they can come to their senator for help.”
Q: What do you see as the most pressing issue facing District 29 now as well as in the coming years?
A: “I think economic development is the greatest issue, but it’s also difficult to separate that from education. I’ve talked with business leaders and they are very concerned about our schools. We really need a breakthrough in our school system. In Darlington County there’s been a fresh new focus on technical education. I think we’ve been giving the wrong message to people that, if you don’t have a college education, you won’t be happy in life. A lot of people that go to technical schools are making more money than college graduates. So I think we need to change our message to students.”
Gerald Malloy
Q: How would you address ongoing problems with the state budget?
A: “The budget is one of the most pertinent issues that we have in the Legislature. These are difficult economic times where we’re having to do more with less. Restructuring, for example, is an issue that will be addressed. The idea is to attempt to limit the duplication of services. Of course, we all have an aversion to raising taxes so we’re trying to find new ways to increase our output without doing that. One bill I introduced involved selling lottery tickets on Election Day, which does not require raising taxes. Whether we oppose or support the lottery – the lottery is here. Our goal should be to make use of the money that is available. That one day comes to about another $1.5 million. And that’s just one way.”
Q: What would you do to attract more growth and economic development to District 29?
A: “We have to support things that make the business climate more favorable to us in order to attract industries. But economic development is not just about creating new jobs -it’s also about sustaining your existing jobs. I can point to Byerly Park. I was the chairman of that committee. It’s a quality of life and recreational issue. It’s going to bring jobs and also have economic impact because it’s going to bring people to the community to spend money. I’ve also been working on the I-73 project, which affects part of our district. When you start talking about it, you also have to support your local officials to help make their connection to state government easier to achieve all this.”
Q: What do you see as the most pressing issue facing District 29 now as well as in the coming years?
A: “Education is always a priority and it’s always been a priority of mine to support the public education system.
Unfortunately, we’re not funded to meet the requirements of the Education Finance Act. This past year the funding was supposed to be $2,234 per pupil and it’s actually $1,852. With health care, it’s also essential that we continue to fund Medicaid. I believe that representing the entire district should be at the forefront of each person’s goals so I think that my back ground from my upbringing, education and now my experience as a Senator puts us in a position to represent the district in an effective manner.”
Name: Warren Arthur
Age: 56
Hometown: Hartsville
Family: Married; eight children
Education: Campbell University, Bachelor of Science in business
Profession: Jefferson Pilot Securities representative
Political experience: Hartsville City Council, 1973-76; S.C. House, 1976-86
Name: Gerald Malloy
Age: 42
Hometown: Chesterfield
Family: Married; four children
Education: University of South Carolina, Bachelor of Science in finance, 1984; USC School of Law, juris doctor, 1988 Profession: Attorney
Political experience: South Carolina Senate, 2002-present
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