John Crangle, the executive director of S.C. chapter of Common Cause, delivered his message Tuesday to a group of Democrats in southern Beaufort County, but the message is applicable statewide. Leadership political action committees are at the heart of ethics scandals in Washington, and in recent years they have been cropping up among the leadership in state legislatures.
South Carolina leaders have created seven PACs, although four of them have been shut down. The remainder should be. Crangle said Tuesday that the committees are "shakedown," a way people in leadership positions can pressure special interest groups to donate money. Crangle said, "Big money in politics allows candidates to disguise who they are."
Former House Speaker David Wilkins, now ambassador to Canada, started the leadership committees in South Carolina. He shut down his Speaker's Politically Active Citizens Committee in July 2005 when he became ambassador, according to The Greenville News, but in four years, it took in nearly half a million dollars.
Current Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, collected about $300,000 last year. Others with much small PACs include Ways and Means Chairman Dan Cooper, R-Piedmont, and Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee Chairman Harry Cato, R-Travelers Rest.
While PACs are legal and no one has proved any wrongdoing in South Carolina, plenty of problems have been observed nationwide. A problem with PACs, according to The Greenville News, is that it is hard for people to track them -- unless they know the name of the committee and who runs them.
A North Carolina congressman has called for federal legislation that would make PAC list the names behind them. Crangle would like to see them abolished in South Carolina. Rep. Dan Tripp, R-Greenville, introduced legislation (H4931) Thursday that would severely restrict use of the money in leadership political action committees. It is a step and lawmakers should move it along, but it is unlikely to become law this year.