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South Carolinians want efficient government that works, said S.C. Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Camden, who will seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010."We have a total disaster in state government," Sheheen, 39, said in an interview while visiting Aiken on Monday. "Someone like me can bring a different generational perspective. We have a great opportunity in this state, and if a person wants to do well, he can do so without regard to party."
Former Republican Gov. Carroll Campbell served with a Democratic-controlled legislature and his ability to work with the other party's leadership led to economic development initiatives and progress in other areas, Sheheen said. Today the General Assembly is controlled by Republicans, but Sheheen has demonstrated his ability as a consensus-builder, he said.
A Camden lawyer, Sheheen has served in the Senate since 2004. He is frustrated by what's not happening in the state to promote economic progress, support public education and deal with government restructuring.
"I've worked for government restructuring and accountability more than any other legislator," he said. "The big part of what the next governor needs to do is reform the legislative and executive branches. They don't function and don't review programs and budgets of state agencies. It doesn't make any logical sense."
The state must also take the offensive in supporting public education. Sheheen and his wife Amy have three young sons in Kershaw County public schools, and he wants them to stay in the state when they reach adulthood. That philosophy means equity in spending for public education and bringing more jobs to the state. But small, rural counties and school districts are beset by a low tax base and few resources.
"Unless the entire state moves forward, we're not going to be successful," Sheheen said. "We have pockets of excellence, but are we making progress in the whole state? How do you raise up less affluent districts without pulling down more affluent districts?"
The state must have an increased role in education funding, he said. Levels of expectation for each child should be established, combined with increased funding in the low-income districts.
The property tax reform measure, Act 388, replaced local property taxes for schools with sales tax revenue. That legislation has flaws and needs to be on the table with an overall tax restructuring program, Sheheen said. At the same time, an increased reliance on property taxes would be the wrong way to go, he said.
Sheheen supports an increase in the cigarette tax from a national low of 7 cents to 50 cents, which would still be only about half the national average.
"We passed an increase two years ago, which was vetoed by Gov. Sanford," he said. "We're a black market state because the price is so low, and people are smuggling cigarettes out of state. The failure to increase the tax has cost the state $2 billion in matching federal funds."
The governor's office is limited because of what people call a legislatively controlled state, Sheheen said, but that description isn't accurate either.
"I say it's on auto-pilot," he said. "The legislature doesn't exercise its authority, and the government doesn't have the power. We are poised to change that if we have the right governor who believes in the need to tackle these issues. We need a governor with vision who can bring people together. My hallmark of legislative service is to find solutions as Carroll Campbell and Dick Riley did as governor."
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.
