No Job For a Rookie



Saturday’s editorial explain’s the editorial board’s preferences in local races for the legislature, and why we think the incumbents deserve to return:

 

Drafting the state budget is the most important task before our state legislators every year, but amid the staggering budget shortfalls caused by the recession, that job has become even more crucial.

Instead of it being an exercise in what they can get for Horry and Georgetown counties, their job will be far more difficult – minimizing what we lose in the massive cuts that are sure to come. This is no time for the substantial on-the-job training required on first arrival in the Statehouse, and it is this fact more than any other that drives our recommendations to send our incumbent state representatives back to Columbia for another term.

Could they have managed our money better during the bubble? Certainly, though it’s much easier to say in hindsight than it was at the time. But the shortfalls are caused by the depth of the recession, and blaming that on our local delegation would only be shooting ourselves in the foot.

Tracy Edge

Republican state Rep. Tracy Edge, with his seat on the House Ways and Means committee, will undeniably be our most strategically placed state representative when it comes to fending off deep cuts to local program.

Edge has proven, year after year, his ability to secure vital Horry County interests in the budget his committee writes (state funding for tourism advertising and money for Interstate 73 leap to mind), then rescue it from the abyss when the Senate cuts it. With his sharp, active mind, Edge takes very seriously his responsibility of writing the complex medical components of the state budget, and frankly the state needs more intellects like his in Columbia – even though, as we noted earlier this year, we have disagreed with him on a number of points of state policy.

We also have substantial respect for Edge’s Democratic opponent, Charles Randall, who is truly running for all the right reasons: a call to service, attention to community issues and a desire to make things better. Though he shies away from calling Edge ineffective, Randall believes the people of the North Strand could do better, and it is only on this point that we disagree with Randall: His conception of the individual ability of a single lawmaker to effect change in Columbia seems overly optimistic, and we believe few do more for their home districts than Edge. Still, Randall would make an excellent public servant, and if not in Columbia, we hope he finds a position locally where he could maximize the impact of his ideas and goodwill.

Edge has attracted substantial attention of late because of an argument between his wife and a North Myrtle Beach police officer, but thus far the incident strikes us as having very little to do with this election (though, separately, the city’s flaunting of the public records law is troubling). From a broader standpoint, we do worry the North Strand’s political dynasties spend too much energy feuding with one another. But when it comes to Edge’s personal integrity and ethics, his decision to return thousands of dollars in questionable campaign funds last year speaks volumes on his behalf.

In addition to the budget, Edge has developed an increased interest in finishing the extension of the Carolina Bays Parkway northward to Interstate 74 in North Carolina. This project would substantially improve transportation around the Grand Strand, and we can think of few lawmakers better suited to take it on.

Vida Miller

State Rep. Vida Miller, a Democrat from the Waccamaw Neck, has been in the state legislature 14 years, but still manages to vote like a reformer. When we looked back at her record this summer, we noted a consistent pattern of votes in favor of on-the-record voting, closing campaign-finance loopholes, restructuring state and local government, and other important issues. Her persistence was certainly appreciated by the residents of Sandy Island as they sought help finding a way across the Waccamaw River.

For at least the second election in a row, Miller has drawn a smart, young opponent from the Sanford/Haley wing of the Republican Party. A 22-year-old who spent an eventful last summer interning in the governor’s office, Kevin Ryan has an understanding of state government that is almost startling. A self-described “policy nerd,” Ryan would fit in well with the reform-minded conservative legislators he admires.

Ryan’s experience, while substantial for a man of his age, pales in comparison to Miller’s, and as we noted above, it is experience above all that will be needed amid the budget battles in this coming legislative year. We have no doubt that Ryan will ultimately have whatever political career he wants, but for now, it is clearly Miller we need in office.

Liston Barfield

This summer, when we realized that state Rep. Liston Barfield had missed a number of key votes and voted to block several other important reforms over the past legislative session, we began to wonder if perhaps this might not be a good year for a challenger more dedicated to the office.

His Democratic opponent, Butch Johnson, has largely been even more of a no-show, however, so it appears the voters of western Horry will at least have the benefit of Barfield’s own legislative experience when they return him to Columbia.

 

Could they have managed our money better during the bubble? Certainly, though it’s much easier to say in hindsight than it was at the time. But the shortfalls are caused by the depth of the recession, and blaming that on our local delegation would only be shooting ourselves in the foot.

Tracy Edge

Republican state Rep. Tracy Edge, with his seat on the House Ways and Means committee, will undeniably be our most strategically placed state representative when it comes to fending off deep cuts to local program.

Edge has proven, year after year, his ability to secure vital Horry County interests in the budget his committee writes (state funding for tourism advertising and money for Interstate 73 leap to mind), then rescue it from the abyss when the Senate cuts it. With his sharp, active mind, Edge takes very seriously his responsibility of writing the complex medical components of the state budget, and frankly the state needs more intellects like his in Columbia – even though, as we noted earlier this year, we have disagreed with him on a number of points of state policy.

We also have substantial respect for Edge’s Democratic opponent, Charles Randall, who is truly running for all the right reasons: a call to service, attention to community issues and a desire to make things better. Though he shies away from calling Edge ineffective, Randall believes the people of the North Strand could do better, and it is only on this point that we disagree with Randall: His conception of the individual ability of a single lawmaker to effect change in Columbia seems overly optimistic, and we believe few do more for their home districts than Edge. Still, Randall would make an excellent public servant, and if not in Columbia, we hope he finds a position locally where he could maximize the impact of his ideas and goodwill.

Edge has attracted substantial attention of late because of an argument between his wife and a North Myrtle Beach police officer, but thus far the incident strikes us as having very little to do with this election (though, separately, the city’s flaunting of the public records law is troubling). From a broader standpoint, we do worry the North Strand’s political dynasties spend too much energy feuding with one another. But when it comes to Edge’s personal integrity and ethics, his decision to return thousands of dollars in questionable campaign funds last year speaks volumes on his behalf.

In addition to the budget, Edge has developed an increased interest in finishing the extension of the Carolina Bays Parkway northward to Interstate 74 in North Carolina. This project would substantially improve transportation around the Grand Strand, and we can think of few lawmakers better suited to take it on.

Vida Miller

State Rep. Vida Miller, a Democrat from the Waccamaw Neck, has been in the state legislature 14 years, but still manages to vote like a reformer. When we looked back at her record this summer, we noted a consistent pattern of votes in favor of on-the-record voting, closing campaign-finance loopholes, restructuring state and local government, and other important issues. Her persistence was certainly appreciated by the residents of Sandy Island as they sought help finding a way across the Waccamaw River.

For at least the second election in a row, Miller has drawn a smart, young opponent from the Sanford/Haley wing of the Republican Party. A 22-year-old who spent an eventful last summer interning in the governor’s office, Kevin Ryan has an understanding of state government that is almost startling. A self-described “policy nerd,” Ryan would fit in well with the reform-minded conservative legislators he admires.

Ryan’s experience, while substantial for a man of his age, pales in comparison to Miller’s, and as we noted above, it is experience above all that will be needed amid the budget battles in this coming legislative year. We have no doubt that Ryan will ultimately have whatever political career he wants, but for now, it is clearly Miller we need in office.

Liston Barfield

This summer, when we realized that state Rep. Liston Barfield had missed a number of key votes and voted to block several other important reforms over the past legislative session, we began to wonder if perhaps this might not be a good year for a challenger more dedicated to the office.

His Democratic opponent, Butch Johnson, has largely been even more of a no-show, however, so it appears the voters of western Horry will at least have the benefit of Barfield’s own legislative experience when they return him to Columbia.