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Article published Oct 8, 2004
Government watchdog group wants state to look at Hunley
finances
Associated
Press
CHARLESTON -- The government watchdog group Common Cause is
asking Attorney General Henry McMaster to look into the finances of the H.L.
Hunley project."There's something fishy about it," executive director John
Crangle said.Questions have been raised about spending, many by Charleston
attorney Justin Kahn, the Democrat opposing state Sen. Glenn McConnell,
R-Charleston, in next month's election.McConnell chairs the South Carolina
Hunley Commission overseeing the preservation of the Hunley, the Confederate
submarine that was the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship. Common
Cause wants to know if Friends of the Hunley, a group supporting the effort, is
subject to the Freedom of Information Act. It also is asking whether income from
the project should go to the state general fund instead of the Hunley
project.While not required to do so by the Freedom of Information Act, Friends
of the Hunley provided documents requested by The (Columbia) State. The
documents show the group paid more than $277,000 to Richard Quinn and Associates
of Columbia to market of the Hunley. Quinn also does work for McConnell's
re-election campaign.McConnell said the marketing justified its costs. Quinn
said more than 200,000 people have toured the North Charleston lab where the sub
is being preserved.Documents and campaign records show Friends of the Hunley
paid former board member Mark Ragan $70,000 to research and write a Hunley book
but did not put the work up for bid.Raegan Quinn with Richard Quinn and
Associates said Thursday that the book was not put up for bid, because author
Clive Cussler gave $40,000 to Friends of the Hunley specifically for Ragan to
write the book."It was a very comprehensive analysis. Believe me, I did a lot
more than $40,000 worth of work," Ragan said of the research. The book has been
finished, but has not been published.McConnell said Ragan was qualified because
he already had written about the sub. Records also show Burroughs & Chapin
Co. and two of its executives have gave $2,250 to McConnell's campaign.The
company recently opened an interactive Hunley exhibit at Broadway at the Beach,
which guarantees a donation each year for the Hunley project. The contributions
were unrelated and were "given in support of candidates who are good for South
Carolina," company spokesman Pat Dowling said.McConnell said the deal is good
for both the Hunley and the taxpayers."They could have built it without paying
us one nickel or dime," he said.