Charleston County Council Dist. 9 Candidates Also Debate on James Is.

BY ROBERT BEHRE
Reprinted from The Post and Courier

State Rep. Wallace Scarborough, R-James Island, and Democratic challenger Eugene Platt made their campaign pitches to almost 100 James Island voters Monday in a voter forum that was relatively buttoned-down compared to their previous joint appearance on talk radio.

In their race for S.C. House District 115 The two spent an hour drawing sharp contrasts between their positions on everything from finishing the Mark Clark Expressway to lowering income taxes to raising cigarette taxes.

Scarborough said he is running on his record of delivering to James Island everything from help for the Morris Island Lighthouse to Battery Island Drive to property tax rollbacks to dollars for improving Camp and Folly Roads.

“These are the things that are important to the people of James Island,” he said. “I know the people of James Island will see through the negative campaign tactics of my opponent.”

Platt used his opening remarks to complain about a third-party mailing - one that Scarborough has denied knowing about -that questioned a book of poems Platt wrote entitled, “Summer Days with Daughter.” The books’ title is from a poem inspired by Platt’s daughter. “The innuendo of this flier is that I had an incestuous relationship with my daughter,” he said.

Platt also questioned if Scarborough had a conflict of interest because of his support for completing the Mark Clark Expressway, which would tie into theexisting James Island Expressway that was named in honor of Scarborough’s father.

Scarborough replied that he calls that highway “the James Island Expressway” and accused Platt of throwing mud.

“If it’s mud I’m throwing, it’s pluff mud, and it’s fairly soft,” Platt replied.

But the audience’s questions didn’t delve into the candidates’ personal lives. Instead, they touched on public transportation, curbing development, homeowner’s insurance, the powers of the county legislative delegation, plans for a college on the former McLeod Plantation, Harborview Road, electronic voting and higher education tuition.

However, the candidates drew their sharpest contrasts on other issues. Scarborough said he supports finishing the Mark Clark, but Platt was not very enthusiastic about the project. Scarborough also said he supports Gov. Mark Sanford’s efforts to reduce income taxes and expand school choice, and he also would oppose raising the cigarette tax.

Platt said he would support an increase in the cigarette tax, adding that his father might have quit smoking and lived longer had the price of cigarettes been higher. He also said he would oppose an increase in sales taxes and considers the income tax is an important leg of the state’s taxing formula. He said he also would be leery about school vouchers. “It just seems to be fiscally irresponsible and morally questionable to take funds away from public schools and, in effect, subsidize private schools.”

The League of Women Voters forum on James Island also included another debate between Charleston County Council District 9 candidates Republican Paul Thurmond and Democrat George Tempel. The two are seeking the council seat being vacated by Councilman Leon Stavrinakis and also met at a similar forum last week on Johns Island.

Thurmond, the son of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, said he was born and raised in South Carolina and moved to the Lowcountry as soon as he could after finishing school. He noted he is a teacher, educator, businessman and lawyer. “I think I bring a lot of skills to the table,” he said. “I’ve been involved in this community ever since I lived here.”

Tempel, a semi-retired professor at MUSC, talked about his long ties to the island, recalling some of its old restaurants gone by. “This is home. This is home because, ‘Go Trojans,’ ” he said, referring to the high school’s mascot. “I want to serve because I want to lower taxes, increase bike paths and reduce traffic on James Island.”

At last week’s forum, Thurmond was the first of the candidates to stand up when addressing the audience -and Tempel quickly followed suit. On Monday, everyone stood when they spoke.

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.