Posted on Sun, Sep. 03, 2006

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ELECTION 2006

It’s up to you to decide ...who’s really in charge

Three key races will decide who sits in the true seat of power in South Carolina — the State Budget and Control Board

By JOHN O’CONNOR

johnoconnor@thestate.com

This fall’s election will decide who occupies Congress, the Governor’s Mansion and the State House, but it could also affect the makeup of a lesser-known group with authority over tens of millions in state spending.

Three of the five members of the State Budget and Control Board face contested races in November. Who wins and who loses could determine control over college construction projects, state land sales, increasing benefits for state retirees and more.

Since Gov. Mark Sanford took office in 2003, the board has voted 3-2 more than two dozen times, with Sanford and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom consistently on the losing end. The election of an ally, such as GOP treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel, could give Sanford a stronger bully pulpit to push for reforms in state policy.

But competitive races for Sanford and Eckstrom could also affect the makeup.

Democratic state Sen. Tommy Moore of Aiken County is challenging Sanford. Drew Theodore, son of former Lt. Gov. Nick Theodore, is up against Eckstrom.

“The election obviously could have a dramatic impact,” Eckstrom said.

“Some of these budget liabilities will be around for a lifetime.”

Though sometimes unnoticed by the public, the State Budget and Control Board plays an important role in state spending. The five members — the governor, the treasurer, the comptroller general, the Senate Finance chairman and the House Ways and Means chairman — vote on construction bonds, contracts and more.

Though the board has agreed on hundreds of votes, a handful of items have sparked strong disagreement among members. In each case, Senate Finance chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, House Ways and Means chairman Dan Cooper, R-Anderson, and Democratic treasurer Grady Patterson voted opposite Sanford and Eckstrom.

The pair voted against:

• Taking on debt for college, prison and other public works projects many times, beginning in 2003

• Issuing cost-of-living increases for state retirees. Sanford and Eckstrom do not oppose the benefits but would rather shore up the retirement system before granting more benefits.

• Pay for some services, such as Coastal Carolina University’s leasing of a golf course for their golf management school in 2005

In the last case, Sanford and Eckstrom questioned the cost of the agreement and whether the school should be in the golf business, according to Budget and Control Board meeting minutes.

Coastal Carolina University president Ronald Ingle said leasing the course has been a boon to the school, allowing students to get real-world experiences at one of only a handful of university golf course management programs in the country. Without the lease, Ingle said, the Professional Golfers Association would likely end accreditation of the program.

“We were facing some very difficult decisions about a successful academic program,” Ingle said. The course is also a lab for biology students, as well as for turf management students at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, he said.

For Greenville Tech, issuing bonds to build 440 dorm rooms raised questions from Sanford and Eckstrom, as both have questioned rising state debt.

Greenville Tech president Thomas E. Barton said 29 percent of the school’s 13,000 students live in Greenville County, and the dorms would provide lower-cost living space near campus.

Sanford and Eckstrom, through hundreds of votes, have staked out ideological positions.

Ravenel has said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he would not vote lock-step with the governor, but his campaign rhetoric mirrors Sanford’s: keep government small, cut waste and stay out of the way of business.

Ravenel said he would vote to reduce state spending through the State Budget and Control Board.

Democratic comptroller general nominee Drew Thedore said a Budget and Control Board vote can be an important tool for economic development, especially promoting the state’s strongest industry of tourism.

Theodore criticized Sanford and Eckstrom for casting “protest votes” against worthwhile projects.

“With all the problems we have in South Carolina, we shouldn’t be playing games with these votes,” Theodore said. “It just sends a bad message.”

Sanford, who wants to scrap the board as part of government restructuring, said he was unlikely to change his position if he were in the majority — even if there is a political price.

“We’re absolutely deadly serious about the votes we take,” he said. Eckstrom said that if a more conservative majority is elected, he hopes they will not compromise past positions.

The governor welcomed the chance to serve with Ravenel.

“To add one more vote is incredibly important,” he said. “There would be a chance to impact policy.”

Still, those who come before the board said they do not foresee wholesale change regardless of the outcome in November.

Should Sanford and his allies win a majority on the board, they will vote in the state’s best interest, Barton said.

“If they know the full facts, they would make a conscientious decision,” he said. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

Bill Hendrix, chairman of the board of trustees at Clemson University, expected little to change.

“We’ve had a good relationship, a good track record and a good success rate,” Hendrix said. That will continue “as long as we do our homework and what we brings them makes sense.”

Reach O’Connor at (803) 771-8358.