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Article published Oct 15, 2004
District 33 representative Littlejohn is a steady conservative
voice
Lanny Littlejohn has represented House District 33 well,
serving as a steady conservative voice but willing to embrace change and
reform.He should be re-elected.Littlejohn is one of the relatively few South
Carolina lawmakers who realize that politicians need to give up a little of
their power and perks for the good of the state.When other House members were
overriding Gov. Mark Sanford's vetoes because the governor dared to attack pork
in the budget and pet local projects "bobtailed" onto crucial legislation,
Littlejohn voted with Sanford.He not only voted to sustain the governor's veto,
he clearly and publicly broke ranks with the House leadership and his
colleagues. "The governor is dead right," Littlejohn said. "He's trying to break
the cycle of politics. It took guts for him to veto that bill and I just wanted
him to know that I stand with him."Littlejohn stands with the people of his
district, not just the governor. Other politicians fought the governor because
he threatened their ability to always have their way on local matters.
Littlejohn and a few others realized that statewide planning and management can
be more important than any single lawmaker's local priority.Littlejohn has
represented a sensible and consistent point of view in the House. He has pushed
for fiscal restraint and responsible budgeting.He is a former educator, but he
isn't wedded to the status quo of the educational establishment and the agenda
of the South Carolina Education Association. Littlejohn knows that spending even
more money is not the panacea to the state's educational problems.And Littlejohn
is poised to become the next chairman of the Higher Education Committee. He
recognizes that the University of South Carolina Upstate has never gotten its
fair share of state funding, and may be in a position to fix that
problem.Littlejohn is opposed by Democrat David Ervin Jr., who runs a Web site
design business. Littlejohn has a greater grasp of state issues, a better vision
for the state and the ability to help the state and Spartanburg County
progress.