Ron Wilson

Former state Senate candidate controversial figure

By Emily Berry and Alison Glass
Independent-Mail
December 3, 2004

In a split vote, state legislators representing Anderson County accepted the last-minute application of former state Senate candidate Ron Wilson and elected him Monday as representative to the state Board of Education for Anderson and Oconee counties.

Mr. Wilson ran as a Republican for state Senate this year. He is a former commander-in-chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a watchdog group that follows hate groups, has labeled Mr. Wilson a right-wing extremist and has been closely following his career in the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Earlier this year, the group placed him on the "40 to Watch" list that included neo-nazis and so-called neo-Confederates.

In a 4-3 vote after a nomination at the Anderson Legislative Delegation meeting, Mr. Wilson won the seat over two men who earlier had submitted applications. He will replace John Hostetler of Walhalla.

The state school board’s responsibilities include policy development, approving curriculum and teaching certificate revocation hearings.

Mr. Wilson, who owns Atlantic Bullion and Coin in Easley, said Friday that he was too busy with work to comment for this story. During his campaign for state Senate, Mr. Wilson denied being racist and called the Southern Poverty Law Center’s concerns about him baseless.

Anderson and Oconee county delegations alternate appointing board members for four-year terms and the member represents both counties, which make up the 10th Judicial Circuit.

"I am not aware of the process used by Anderson County," Oconee County state Rep. Bill Sandifer, R-Seneca, said. "We simply abide by a gentleman’s agreement that allows each county to have the opportunity to appoint someone to the board.

It is the only way the smaller of the two counties would have an opportunity to put representation on a state board."

At Monday’s meeting, delegation members had received two applications for election to the state Board of Education before the self-appointed deadline the previous week. But the day of the meeting, Mr. Wilson submitted his, and delegation members agreed to allow his nomination.

Rep. Dan Cooper, R-Piedmont, nominated Mr. Wilson and Rep. Brian White, R-Anderson, Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, and Sen. Billy O’Dell, R-Ware Shoals, all voted for him.

Rep. Paul Agnew, D-Abbeville, abstained because he had not yet been sworn in to office.

Reps. Michael Thompson, Becky Martin and Ronnie Townsend, all Anderson Republicans, voted for Anderson County Board of Education member Harris Wilks. Mr. Wilks has been a member of the county Board of Education since 1998, and his current term ends this month.

Rep. Cooper said he believes Mr. Wilson, who has owned his business selling gold and coins for 20 years, will bring a needed business perspective to the Board of Education. He said he hadn’t reviewed the details of Mr. Wilson’s viewpoints on education.

Rep. Cooper and Rep. White, both members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said there is no reason to believe Mr. Wilson is racist or to question his activism.

In addition to Mr. Wilks, Harold Gilbert was nominated for the seat. Mr. Gilbert is a former teacher in Anderson School District 5, where he worked for 27 years, he said.

"I was really disappointed by the way this turned out, because it didn’t seem to me to be very fair," Mr. Gilbert said.

The lawmakers didn’t discuss the candidates during the meeting at which they elected Mr. Wilson, Mr. Gilbert said.

At one point a few days before the delegation meeting, Mr. Gilbert said he was told the vote wouldn’t happen until January. Delegation members said they had discussed delaying the vote, but that by consensus agreed to move forward with it.

Cordes Seabrook, one of Anderson’s first Republicans and the county’s first Republican Party chapter chairman, said he didn’t understand the legislators’ decision to appoint Mr. Wilson. He said he is wary of the direction the party seems headed.

"I highly question his credentials for the office and I’m kind of perplexed - I’m suspicious - of why he was appointed."

Mark Potok, of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, said the group believes Mr. Wilson is an extremist who works closely with white supremacists and anti-Semites.

As an example, he cited a note Mr. Wilson posted on an online store he operated several years ago, encouraging visitors to buy and read the book "Barbarians at the Gate." The book describes a Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world, as first put forward in a book called "The Protocol of the Elders of Zion," Mr. Potok said.

On the Web site, a note next to the book apparently written by Mr. Wilson asked, "Can you handle the truth?"

"The fact that South Carolina has someone on its Board of Education helping to select textbooks who endorses ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ is truly astounding," Mr. Potok said. "South Carolinians should be frightened."

Anderson surgeon Henry Jordan, who endorsed Mr. Wilson’s state Senate bid, held the seat before Mr. Hostetler.

Five months into his term, Dr. Jordan said "screw the Buddhists and kill the Muslims" when asked in a committee meeting about possible opposition to placing the Ten Commandments in public schools.

Mr. Wilson’s term of office will begin as soon as the legislative delegation sends his name to the Secretary of State. His commission of office comes with the signature of the governor, but the governor has no authority to withhold the commission, Gov. Mark Sanford’s spokesman Will Folks said Friday.

—Anderson Independent-Mail reporter David Williams contributed to this story.

Emily Berry can be reached at (800) 859-6397, Ext. 326 or by e-mail at huigensee@IndependentMail.com.

Copyright 2004, Anderson Independent Mail. All Rights Reserved.