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Article published: Oct 29, 2005
Harvin widow seeks seat
Former Mississippi lawmaker also to run for S.C. House

MANNING — The wife of the late state Rep. Alex Harvin and a Clarendon County resident each filed Friday to run for state House Seat 64, the seat held by Harvin for 29 years.

Harvin died Oct. 11 at a Charleston hospital after a lengthy illness.

Cathy B. Harvin, 51, and Mitchell Ellerby, 59, will face each other in the Democratic Primary on Jan. 3 if no other candidates file to run prior to the noon Nov. 7 deadline.

A runoff, if necessary, to fill the seat for the final year of Alex Harvin’s two-year term would be held Jan. 17, with a special election scheduled for Feb. 14.

Cathy Harvin said several things motivated her to run for her husband’s seat, including a request from him.

“As Alex was getting more and more ill, one day he asked me to finish what he had started,” she said. “‘Carry on for me,’ he said. ‘The people of Clarendon County depended on me to finish what I started, and now I’m depending on you to finish it for me.’”

During the last months of her husband’s life, Harvin was fighting breast cancer, a life-altering experience on its own.

“Having faced breast cancer and at least beaten it for now has made me reassess what I wanted to do with my life,” Harvin said.

After three decades at IBM and then Dell, Harvin said she wants to begin focusing on what she can do for others.

Harvin said she has three projects she would like to see completed if elected.

“Technology is the great equalizer in education,” she said. “There are a couple of things I really want to work on, including having assured homework centers in each community of Clarendon County where students can go for help. I’d like to see retired educators take an active role in the centers because they can provide the knowledge and the love the students need to succeed.”

Harvin said she’d like to see courses offered through the South Carolina Educational Television system and Internet-enabled delivery systems that can provide a consistent level of education in rural counties, particularly in the areas of math and science.

Harvin also said she’d like to see technology companies, hardware, software and infrastructure companies embrace rural areas such as Clarendon and Williamsburg counties, and provide educational tools and delivery systems to improve education.

Ellerby, who was defeated when he ran against Alex Harvin in the 2004 Democratic Primary, said he’s been planning for the 2006 election since then.

A former legislator, Ellerby served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984 to 1992 with stints on the state’s Education and Ways and Means committees.

“I have experience that I can bring to the seat,” Ellerby said Friday.

Good pay for teachers, an educational system that’s up to par and the ability to compete globally are a must, Ellerby said.

“I want to see us improve the quality of life in Clarendon County,” Ellerby said. “From landowners to renters, I want to see everyone have a say in how the county’s run.”

Ellerby said he’d like to help Summerton continue its growth and work with outlying areas in the county to see them prosper.

Ellerby said he’s maintained federal connections that would be beneficial for South Carolina and Clarendon County.

“We must have a relationship at the federal, state, county and municipal levels,” he said. “It’s important for people to get to know you.”

Contact Staff Writer Sharron Haley at shaley@theitem.com or 803-435-8511.