(Published October 28‚ 2004)

In the race for state Senate District 16, we endorse incumbent Greg Gregory.

Gregory, a Republican and three-term senator, is a moderate voice in a Legislature where both houses are controlled by his fellow party members. Gregory, a Lancaster resident, represents a politically diverse district that encompasses portions of eastern York County -- including Fort Mill, Lesslie and Catawba -- and parts of Lancaster and Fairfield counties. As one who prides himself on accessibility at the local level and constituent service in his district, he could not afford to be a rubber stamp for either party.

Gregory, who runs a family building supply operation, is a Lancaster native with roots in the county going back three centuries. He credits a "crack staff" in Columbia for his ability to maintain local contacts while busy in the Senate.

Gregory is opposed in this race by Democrat Donn Sinclair, who is running for office for the first time. Sinclair, a Fort Mill resident, has an investment firm in Rock Hill, which he runs along with his wife and sister.

Sinclair is bright and energetic, and has campaigned hard in this race. He hopes to exploit the fact that the district is 40 percent Democrat and, according to Sinclair, most residents aren't "culturally Republican."

We like Sinclair's emphasis on the importance of education to the state. He would restore full funding for schools as mandated under the Education Finance Act first, and then worry about funding everything else next, employing budget cuts or tax hikes where needed.

But that plan probably is unrealistic in the current political climate in the Legislature, and Gregory also is dedicated to improving education. He believes per-pupil spending is too low, but would be reluctant to raise taxes to increase the education budget. He worked during the last session to maximize education funding at a time when most state agencies were facing draconian budget cuts.

Gregory, unlike Sinclair, supports Gov. Mark Sanford's proposal to appoint most of the state's constitutional officeholders rather than the current system of electing them. We agree that the election of officials such as the state adjutant general (a post all other states appoint) and agriculture commissioner is archaic and needs to be changed.

Gregory also lists changing the rules of cloture as a top priority for the next session. Currently, any senator can deadlock legislation with a filibuster, and state law requires a vote of 27 fellow senators to make him sit down. Gregory would reduce that number to 25 or less to allow more legislation to reach the floor of the Senate. That might allow a vote on legislation such as a primary seat belt law, which Gregory supports.

While Gregory is inclined not to raise taxes, he does support an increase in the cigarette tax to help fund Medicaid. He also would tie any reduction in income tax rates to parallel revenue growth.

Gregory heads the Senate's Fish, Game and Forestry Committee, which works with the Department of Natural Resources. He chaired the landmark boating safety act of 1999, commonly known as "Drew's law," named after the young victim of a voting accident involving a drunken boater. The bill brought fines for operating a boat under the influence more in line with those for DUI offenses, and boating fatalities have declined dramatically since.

Last year, he helped institute higher out-of-state hunting fees, claiming that hunters from North Carolina frequently crossed state lines to take advantage of low license fees. Gregory also supported an increase in the cost of an in-state combination hunting/fishing license, although he said it still remains among the least costly in the Southeast.

Gregory listed tort reform as another top priority. He would cap awards for pain and suffering, and would alter the change of venue statute that now allows so-called "jury shopping," which allows someone to sue a business in any jurisdiction he thinks might produce a more sympathetic jury or judge.

Voters in this race are fortunate to have two capable candidates on the ballot. In the final analysis, however, we think Gregory has a better handle on the issues than his opponent, and we give him the nod in our endorsement.

IN SUMMARY
Both candidates in the state Senate District 16 race are impressive, but incumbent Greg Gregory has a better grasp of the issues.