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Date Published: April 6, 2004
Local delegation deserves credit for 4-year USC Sumter
It appears that the seemingly endless
posturing and grandstanding over the embattled Life Sciences Act is
approaching closure -- maybe.
Gov. Mark Sanford, who had
threatened to sue the General Assembly after his veto of the bill
was quickly and overwhelmingly overridden by both legislative
bodies, indicated last week he would be receptive to a truce to
allow time for procedural remedies to be worked out between his
office and the Legislature so that the alleged "bobtailing" of
amendments to bills can be terminated. However, he added a caveat,
namely that he would let the legal issue rest -- for now.
In
his words, "I've said all along that my fundamental goal is fixing
the process so that the best interests of the taxpayers are
protected. If there's a willingness to achieve that objective on the
legislative side of the equation then I'm certainly willing to give
that process a little bit more time before moving forward with a
legal option."
Translated, that means he is heeding the
warning to back off the threat to sue from House Republicans
following a reportedly rancorous Wednesday meeting with those
legislators. House Speaker David Wilkins was quoted as saying, "We
believe there are no merits to the lawsuit. He will not
prevail."
The governor has made his point and boosted his
approval ratings in the polls while reinforcing his base among
libertarians in the Lowcountry, portraying himself as a defender of
the taxpayer against that favorite catchword of politicians --
"pork," even though no such fat ever existed in the amendment
granting four-year status to the University of South Carolina
Sumter. He can now accept the accolades of elitist, fawning
editorial writers and power brokers around the state who will likely
continue their love fest with his manning-the-ramparts stance
against the Legislature.
It has been a win-win situation for
Sanford, who has shored up his crusader resume while singling out
the long and arduous USC Sumter initiative as a convenient whipping
boy during his confrontation with the Legislature. USC Sumter and
this community have been unfairly tarred and feathered in the war of
words, and we don't appreciate it one bit.
Now that the dust
has begun to settle, we expect to see progress made toward setting
the wheels in motion for USC Sumter to begin the process of becoming
a four-year institution, which is not only in the best interests of
Sumter but also of the state. The time has come for USC Sumter to be
allowed the opportunity to prove it can perform successfully as a
four-year school as it has for nearly 40 years as a two-year campus.
All that's required is cooperation from the University of
South Carolina hierarchy and the Commission on Higher Education so
that opportunity can evolve into success. We would hope there will
no longer be any obstructionism -- we've had quite enough from the
governor.
Meanwhile, assuming the governor will continue to
exercise restraint, it's time to assign credit where it's due, and
that belongs to the Sumter Legislative Delegation. Our local
legislators worked together along bipartisan lines to defend the USC
Sumter amendment through thick and thin. Democratic Rep. David Weeks
joined with Republican Rep. Murrell Smith in the House, with
assistance from Republican Rep. Marty Coates of Florence, whose
district includes the eastern portion of Sumter County. In the
Senate, Democrats Phil Leventis and John Land teamed to hold the
fort.
Special thanks go to Smith in the House and Leventis in
the Senate, who labored long and hard in convincing their fellow
legislators that the USC Sumter amendment had merit and was in the
best interests of the state. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.
We would hope that as the smoke clears, Sumter can enjoy the
fruits of our legislators' dedication to local and state progress
and USC Sumter can take its rightful and well-deserved place as a
four-year public institution.
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May 20, 2004 
