State Rep. Becky Richardson has started asking her fellow lawmakers to choose her as the newest member of the S.C. Employment Commission.

If Richardson, R-Fort Mill, gets the job, she will leave the legislative seat she has held for 14 years. Her husband, Dick, is considering the possibility of taking her place in the House, she said in an interview last week.

Richardson said she wants to work on the commission as a way to continue her public service while trying something new. She would be paid $96,000 a year as a commissioner.

Commissioners are appointed by the Legislature. Since at least the 1950s, it always has named ex-legislators to the posts.

Critics say the commissioners should be elected by the public or appointed by the governor, as is done in most other states.

Richardson is one of four people running for three seats on the commission. Their main task is to decide whether to award individual claims for unemployment compensation.

Richardson is hoping to fill a slot being vacated by former state Rep. Carole Wells, R-Spartanburg, who stepped down to run for Congress. State Rep. Becky Martin, R-Anderson, also is running for the commission spot that Richardson wants.

Two commission incumbents — former state Sen. McKinley Washington, D-Charleston, and former state Rep. Billy McLeod, D-Florence — are running for re-election.

The commissioners will be chosen by the Legislature during a Feb. 4 election. The top three vote-getters win seats.

Richardson has expressed interest in the position since last year but could not begin soliciting endorsements until she completed a screening process. Candidates were required to wait until last week to begin making their pitches to lawmakers.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because these positions don’t come open very often,” Richardson said. “I’ve served in the Legislature for 14 years, and I’m not ready to retire. This is totally different and sounds interesting. It will be a continuation of my service to the public. That’s ingrained in me and I love it.”

The position also will mean a pay raise for Richardson. As a House member, she is paid $10,400 a year, plus $95 for every day the Legislature is in session — about $6,000 over a typical five-month session.

Positions on the Employment Security Commission and the Public Service Commission have been controversial with critics such as the government watchdog group Common Cause. The critics note the positions, paying more than double the state’s median household income, don’t require much time and overwhelmingly go to former legislators or their relatives.

Gov. Mark Sanford’s spokesman, Will Folks, said the governor believes there is room for reform in how the positions are filled. However, Sanford has not proposed any specific changes this year.

Employment Security Commission executive director Ted Halley, who works for the commissioners, disputes the contention the positions are part time. Commissioners work Monday through Friday, about 35 to 40 hours a week, he said.

Halley said three days a week are spent holding meetings; the other days are spent working with the agency’s 36 branch offices around the state. None of the current commissioners have other full-time jobs. “They wouldn’t have time,” Halley said.

Richardson said she believes she would make a good commissioner because she has experience in working with the public.

“I know what it means to be honest and fair, and it would just be a natural carry-over for me,” she said. “I think I would do a good job for the state of South Carolina. I have a good work ethic and I think I would serve the public well.”