Pinson tops Boatwright

June 14, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD and MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal staff writers

S.C. State House Rep. Gene Pinson, right, kisses wife Carol on Tuesday night after his victory in the State House of Representatives District 13 Republican primary against opponent Alan Boatwright.

Political veteran and state Rep. Gene Pinson swept past Greenwood businessman Alan Boatwright in Tuesday’s Republican primary for S.C. House District 13. Pinson gained 58 percent of the vote for the Greenwood County seat.
“You are always glad to win, but the celebration is really tainted because of all the mudslinging and the innuendo ... A lot of degrading things have gone on,” Pinson said during a gathering at the McCravy & Newlon Law Firm in Greenwood to watch the results being reported on the Greenwood County Web site..." But Pinson also offered reassurance to the crowd of family, friends and supporters who anxiously waited as the votes were tallied and results were posted.
“We are always here, we will always be responsive and we are always here to serve,” he told the group. Boatwright said the primary voting result was disappointing. He was monitoring the election results at the business he owns, Greenwood Glass Co.
“I thought we had our voter targets on track. Some voters were turned off by the negative campaigning. I can say I ran a clean campaign. I am proud of that,” Boatwright said. “I can hold my head up high.” He said he hopes people will look at the record of their representatives, and that some of the issues he brought forward in the primary — state spending, education and the economy — would continue to be examined through the November General Election.
From the day that a conservative group, South Carolininas for Responsible Government, targeted Pinson, the campaign was marked by charges back and forth. A mailer from South Carolinians for Responsible Government, with an address in Columbia, aligned Pinson with alleged pork barrel spending, using a cartoon drawing of a pig lying in mud.
Homes in Greenwood has pig drawings attached to their mailboxes as part of the campaign. The pig mailer didn’t mention Boatwright.
Conservatives in Action, with a post office box address in Greenville, joined the fray with mailers that touted what the group said was a Boatwright pledge to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes” and urging voters to call Pinson about a rebate check, from the state’s $1 billion surplus.
The group also used a mailer with the question “What’s that smell, you ask?” to allege that Pinson was “spending like he’s got money to burn.”
Pinson said the negative campaigns, and all the money that was pumped into the district to fund them, could be harmful to the integrity of the political process.
“I want to sum up this race by saying that we all need ethics reform in the state of South Carolina, so that these groups can’t come in and put up a tent and start slinging money everywhere,” he told supporters. “I hope that this is not a new era of politics in South Carolina, where out-of-state money comes into the local districts and attempts ... a coup d’etat (a sudden attack or overthrow) of local districts.
“I hope this is not an indicator of future politics in our state.”
During the campaign, Pinson fired back with mailers of his own, including an 11th hour piece that questioned Boatwright’s personal finances and business debts.
Pinson also touted endorsements from U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, S.C. House Majority Leader Jim Merrill, and S.C. Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell who campaigned in person for Pinson.
A Pinson mailer had the candidate’s wife Carol, an elementary school teacher, saying that national groups targeting “a small Southern State” had S.C. public schools under attack. The mailer identified Club for Growth and South Carolinians for Responsible Government as being funded by out-of-state sources, and urged voters not to be “fooled by nameless attacks.”
Gov. Mark Sanford, on a tour around the state promoting what he said was his plan to limit state spending, stopped just short of endorsing Boatwright in the challenger’s attempt to upset Pinson, a first-term state legislator. Sanford said Pinson was not voting often enough to sustain the governor’s vetoes of items in the state budget.
A contrast between the two men came during a forum sponsored by the Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce and The Index-Journal. Pinson said he would vote to increase South Carolina’s lowest in the nation cigarette tax, and Boatwright said he would not favor increasing the tax.
Pinson does not have a Democratic opponent in the November General Election. He was elected to the state House in 2003 after holding other elective offices that included six years on Greenwood County Council and 10 years on the Greenwood School District 50 board, and about 20 years in the appointive position of Greenwood County Veterans’ Affairs Officer. Pinson is the community relations director for Morningside Assisted Living in Greenwood.
Districtwide, Pinson got 2,054 votes compared to Boatwright’s 1,494 vote in unofficial results.
Pinson said he kept his hands “on the pulse” of his constituents in District 13, and he said the negative attacks, which included the mailers, television ads and radio spots, did little to affect the voters’ final decisions.
“I just don’t think the residents of House District 13 are going to be bought off by mudslinging and the degradation of other individuals,” he said. “I give people in House District 13 a lot of credit. I don’t think they are swayed by negativity. They support their candidate no matter what is thrown at them.”
Despite the negative tone the campaign took as it progressed, both candidates said it was a good experience.
“I met a lot of good people on the campaign,” Boatwright said. “Will I run again? I would like to say I would. I have a business to tend to now — and getting the governor elected in November. ... I do want to serve.”
Pinson said he is returning to Columbia today to look at governor’s vetoes, and he said the sitting members of the House of Representatives who were targeted by negative campaign attacks will regroup and “do some thinking and planning” as they head into the next election cycle.

Representing the North

Emerald graduate Bishop set to play in Saturday’s North-South soccer game

June 14, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

It is especially pleasing for an athlete who has worked for many years honing their skills in a specific sport to be honored for their effforts.
Greenwood’s Erika Bishop, a recent Emerald High School graduate, is being honored for excellence in her sport of choice, which is soccer.
Bishop has been chosen to play in Saturday’s North-South high school girls all-star soccer game. The contest is an annual event that pits the best players from the upperstate against the top performers in the lowerstate. The game is set for Saturday at Furman University in Greenville.
Bishop said she is thrilled to have been selected to play in the exhibition.
“It feels good to be honored like this,” Bishop said. “I came into this past season wanting to win a state championship (at Emerald). Obviously, that didn’t happen, which was tough. But this is a good consolation.”
Bishop will be reporting to Greenville Thursday for practice for the event and physicals. She said she will be participating in three practices with the North squad and will go through various drills and preparations for Saturday’s games.
Part of the reason the players are reporting early is a chance to get to know one another before Saturday’s event. Bishop said she is accustomed to meshing with different players.
“Between playing with CESA and playing in the Toros when I was younger I have gotten used to being teamed up with different players,” Bishop said. “I also played some ODP (Olympic Development Program) soccer in the past, which was kind of like an all-star event. I’m just looking forward to having fun and playing hard at the North-South.”
Besides participating in the North-South game and playing CESA club soccer, Bishop is preparing this summer to go to Wofford College in the fall.
She has signed to play for the Lady Terriers soccer team and has been busy with Wofford’s team mandated workout regimen.
“They sent me a summer package that lists the things for me to work on and focus on,” Bishop said. “There’s weight lifting, sprinting, distance running and some ball work.
“Between that and preparation for CESA regionals, it’s been a busy time.”
Bishop said the aforementioned regionals will take place in Little Rock, Ark. this year.
Bishop, who began playing at 9 years old, said she never imagined when she was younger that soccer would take her as many places and offer her as many opportunities as it has.
She also said the time she spent as a player at Emerald has been very beneficial to her playing career.
“I was able to learn how to play with a lot of different levels of players,” Bishop said. “It taught me how to be a better leader and to be able to work to achieve team goals. It also gave me the opportunity to play with my sister (Lady Vikings’ Alex Bishop), which I’ll always cherish.”

Opinion

Future governors aided through Sanford’s work

June 14, 2006

Now that the state primary elections are history, the campaigning begins again for the November general election. (if it ever stopped, that is).
Regardless of who the candidates for governor are this year, though, there is something that Gov. Mark Sanford has done that is likely to have an impact for years to come. Furthermore, it should be beneficial for every South Carolina chief executive from here on after, be it a Democrat, Republican or anything else.
Even though Sanford had served as a South Carolina representative in the U. S. Congress, he basically came to the governor’s office as an outsider. That is, he approached almost everything differently than all of his predecessors.

THAT APPARENTLY DIDN’T SIT well with many lawmakers, however. That’s because he challenged the system. That system is supposed to be one with checks and balances with three equal branches of government. However, the Legislature has historically held the power. It was a foregone conclusion that anyone who attempted to overturn the status quo was sure to run into opposition, not to mention every kind of criticism known to mankind.
He’s stepped on some toes and created a few enemies along the way. If anyone has noticed, though, that hasn’t stopped him from carrying forward his imitation of Don Quixote jousting with a windmill. It’s obviously a thankless task. Most of the powers that be, regardless of party, feel threatened. It would not be surprising, however, if most South Carolinians quietly agree with Sanford. They have seen through the years that doing things one way because “that’s the way we’ve always done it” has not solved all of our problems. If anything, it’s created more problems for taxpayers, with bigger government ..... more taxing and more spending.

SANFORD MAY NOT HAVE done everything he’s tried or wanted to do. Still, he’s gotten the public’s interest - one way or another - and without that, nothing will ever change. He has used the only real tool he has: the bully pulpit.Too many power brokers are entrenched and will not, unless forced, surrender any of the power or prerogatives of the legislative branch to the executive branch. Most won’t even think about it. Someone sometimes needs to try, though ..... and try again. Sanford has.
Life is a matter of constant change. Why shouldn’t government be? It’s hard indeed to teach old dogs new tricks. That doesn’t mean, though, that it should never be tried. Old dogs just don’t like it much.

Obituaries

George W. Gray

ABBEVILLE — George W. Gray, 81, of 1030 Haigler St. Extension, widower of Bessie Smith Gray, died Monday, June 12, 2006 at his home.
Born in Abbeville County, he was a son of the late Shepherd and Georgia Tate Gray. He was a member of Shady Grove AME Church and a retired employee of Seaboard Railroad and Flexible Technologies.
Survivors include two sons, Larry Jackson of Belton and James Jackson of Hodges; three daughters, Sallie Jackson of Jamaica, N.Y., Geraldine Beanum of the home and Abigail Jackson of Greenville; two brothers, Eugene Gray of Abbeville and Elgin Gray of Monroe, N.C.; two sisters, Everlena Edmunds of Calhoun Falls and Georgia Dubose of Monroe; a great-nephew of the home, Rodney Gray; 10 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home.

Lela Starnes

Lela Davis Starnes, 76, of 1808 Highway 246 S., widow of Marion Lee Starnes, died Monday, June 12, 2006 at her home.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of the late William and Azilee Davis Burton. She retired from Capsugel and was a member of Siloam Baptist Church and the Senior Sunday School Class.
Survivors include three daughters, Linda Chapman, Nancy Free and Debra Todd, all of Greenwood; a son, Marion Wayne Starnes of Greenwood; a sister, Eva Callaway of Winterville, Ga.; a brother, J. T. Martin of Greenwood; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Siloam Baptist Church, officiated by the Revs. Johnson Dorn and Marc Vickers. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are Al Fortner, Jacob Starnes, Erek Leary, Sean Petro, Steve Callaway and Ken Callaway.
Honorary escorts are church deacons, along with Randy Free, James Chapman, Julie Lardizabal, Amanda Petro, Valerie Leary, Tara Bowers, Kayla Starnes and Stefanie Todd.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Harley Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to the Davita-Greenwood Dialysis Clinic, 109 Overland Drive, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com