Voters in 2006 might get to decide whether the governor should
have more power.
Saying the change would make government more accountable and
efficient, House members voted 90-30 to allow the people to decide
whether the governor should appoint the secretary of state and
education superintendent. Both are now elected.
If the Senate approves, voters would decide in the next general
election whether to amend the constitution. The first year a
governor could make appointments would be 2011.
“This is an important next step,” said House Speaker David
Wilkins, R-Greenville, adding that one advantage to the measure
would be to help make education less political.
But the bill faces skeptics from both parties in the Senate.
Some senators said Tuesday they are concerned about taking voting
power away from the people.
“At first glance,” said Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, “I’m not
in favor of taking away the ability of voters (to elect) people when
we’ve got our people in Iraq fighting” for free elections.
Others worried about giving a governor control over the education
superintendent.
Some Democrats, for example, are troubled by Gov. Mark Sanford’s
support for giving tax credits to parents who want to send their
children to private school or another public school. They say the
bill is anti-public school.
“I would be concerned about the type of person they would put in
that position,” said Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland.
Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum, one of two Democrats
elected statewide, said she supports making her office an appointed
position because she believes a statewide campaign discourages good
candidates from running.
Much of the debate in the House centered on which constitutional
officers should be appointed. The original bill called for the
governor to appoint the secretary of state, the agriculture
commissioner, and the education superintendent.
Many, including Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, supported
the bill as written.
They said the House would never accomplish its goal of
streamlining government if it restructures only a few offices.
But Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, said the bill — which needed
approval by two-thirds of the House — could not pass unless one
position was removed.
House members considered a flurry of amendments, including one,
which survived, cutting out the agriculture commissioner.
After about an hour, some members complained that the debate had
become more about politics than good government.
Sanford, who has pushed the Legislature to let the governor
appoint a number of offices, called the vote “a smaller bite at the
apple than we’d hoped for.”
“We’re hopeful that the Senate will add — not subtract — when it
comes to the number of offices put up for a voter referendum.”
Secretary of State Mark Hammond, who had pushed to keep his
office elected, might have been the most disappointed Tuesday.
“There’s people all around the world that just wish they could
vote, and now the House is asking South Carolinians to vote to give
up their vote. That just makes no sense to me.”
Reach Talhelm at (803) 771-8339 or jtalhelm@thestate.com
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