Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers:
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May 27
The Island Packet on a recent state Supreme Court ruling on who’s subject to the Freedom of Information Act:
South Carolina citizens took it on the chin May 23.
The state Supreme Court made it much harder, if not impossible, for citizens to follow millions of dollars of public money.
It ruled that the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce is not subject to the state Freedom of Information Act. That is unfortunate because the chamber receives approximately $1.5 million annually from the Town of Hilton Head Island as its official tourism marketing agency.
Statewide, tens of millions of public dollars are now shielded from the direct public oversight granted by the FOIA.
The FOIA is the citizens’ greatest tool to hold public officials accountable and pierce the wall of secrecy so many public bodies build around themselves. To see this authority that has been carefully placed in the hands of the people being chipped away at is demoralizing.
This case started years ago when a citizen was denied information sought under the FOIA. Chamber antagonist C.C. “Skip” Hoagland then turned to the courts. A lower court ruled in favor of his DomainsNewMedia.com, saying the Chamber was a public body.
But recently, Supreme Court Justice John W. Kittredge wrote for the 4-1 court majority: “While the Chamber technically expends public funds, we are firmly persuaded that the General Assembly did not intend the Chamber to be considered a public body for FOIA purposes based upon its receipt and expenditure of accommodation tax funds.”
The legislative intent seems crystal clear to us. The FOIA says a public body is “… any organization, corporation, or agency supported in whole or in part by public funds or expending public funds …”
The high court ruled that this is not enough to be considered a public body. It pointed to the law that enabled the state accommodations tax on overnight lodging, which is the source of the marketing dollars that go to the Chamber. The court said that law, not the FOIA, protects the public’s right to know how those millions of dollars are spent.
A greater burden now falls to the Town of Hilton Head Island - and all local governments allocating tax dollars to private entities - to protect the public’s right to know.
That’s not very encouraging, if recent history is any indication. When Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett was new to office, he tried to get much greater town oversight and involvement in the Chamber’s tourism marketing. He ran into a buzz saw of opposition. He wanted a new contractual arrangement. In the end, a five-year contract was narrowly approved by Town Council, but it was over Bennett’s objection because he did not think it went far enough to assure transparency and accountability.
One suggestion that was rejected during that 2015 public discussion was for the town contract to specify that the Chamber would be subject to the FOIA.
The town’s Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee now must roll up its sleeves and dig deeper, demanding the public display of specific financial information from any organization that wants it to approve a penny of public money.
The Supreme Court’s unfortunate ruling touts this body as one of the guarantees of public oversight written into the accommodations tax law. These advisory committees make ATAX spending recommendations to Town Council or County Council. Now all those public bodies must push harder for a public that is being told it has no right to ask questions for itself.
It is a shame to see this direct access sidestepped, or watered down. The public needs new advocates.
Online: http://www.islandpacket.com
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May 24
The Index-Journal says House hopeful Archie Parnell should end his campaign:
South Carolina is known for many wonderful things. It offers a beautiful coast and coastal islands on one side, foothills on the other. It’s a relatively easy drive for anyone wanting to take in the best of both of those worlds too. We enjoy a relatively mild climate that allows us to sample the four seasons. And let’s not forget the Palmetto State’s hospitality, its fine foods and beverages. No wonder our state is a destination spot for so many tourists.
But South Carolina also has its dark side. For at least a decade, we’ve ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation when it comes to women dying at the hands of their spouses or significant others. Criminal domestic violence runs rampant across this otherwise gentile state and only recently have lawmakers begun to face that reality and carve new laws aimed at reducing what some might say has grown to epidemic proportions. Stricter sentencing and efforts to ensure violators cannot possess handguns are among the steps taken.
Sadly, there is a myth associated with CDV cases, a myth that often mirrors a similar myth regarding sexual assaults. Neither criminal domestic violence nor criminal sexual assault are bound by socio-economic factors.
Chris Corley, a former member of the state House of Representatives from Aiken, elevated recognition of the fact that criminal domestic violence knows no particular bounds - at the expense of his wife and children, as well as his elected post. In December 2016, shortly after his election, Corley was charged in the beating of his wife in full view of his children, whose pleas for their father to stop could be heard in a chilling 911 call.
Now we learn that Archie Parnell, considered a leading candidate in the upcoming June 12 Democratic primary race for U.S. House District 5 has had his own issues with domestic violence. According to court documents, Parnell beat his now ex-wife in a rage-infused attack in 1973.
Trav Robertson, state Democratic party chairman is joined by fellow Democrats in calling for Parnell to drop from the campaign. Despite the fact the abuse took place 45 years ago, and despite the fact that Parnell expresses regret and a changed life, his supporters have dropped in droves. That includes members of his staff, who apparently Parnell went to extreme measures to prevent learning of the case.
Yes, people do make mistakes large and small. And lessons are often learned, lives and behaviors changed. Certainly it should be hoped that in his subsequent marriage and building of family, Parnell has grown and is a far better person than the young man he was in 1973. Nothing has come to light to indicate otherwise.
Still, in a state where criminal domestic violence is nearly as commonplace as pop-up summer thunderstorms, he should not represent South Carolina on Capitol Hill.
As Trav Robertson said, “His actions, though long ago, directly contradict the values of the Democratic Party.” We would merely edit that to say “the values of most South Carolinians.”
Online: http://www.indexjournal.com
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May 26
The Post and Courier on the recently denied request to expedite the replacement of the state’s aging voting machines:
The General Assembly recently turned down a request from the State Election Commission and Gov. Henry McMaster to expedite the replacement of the state’s aging voting machines, providing only $4 million of a $20 million request to get going on a project expected to cost about $50 million over two years. With heightened concerns over election tampering, lawmakers should reconsider their decision as soon as possible.
Even if all of the funding was provided next year, the earliest South Carolina voters would have access to the new machines that produce a paper trail of their votes would be the November 2020 general election. The state is unlikely to have the new machines in time for the 2020 presidential primaries or other contests held before that time.
That’s the prediction Chris Whitmire of the State Election Commission recently gave to The Post and Courier. The Election Commission says the existing system, which does not provide an auditable paper trail, is nevertheless secure from tampering over the internet. Not that some people do not try. The Election Commission reported that 149,832 unauthorized attempts were made to access the South Carolina voter registration system on Election Day in 2016, at least some of which were likely malicious in nature. (Others may have been innocent mistakes, by elections officials for example.)
The problem is that the security of the votes we cast in South Carolina is nevertheless below the level recommended in the latest best practices issued in response to Russian attempts to hack into election databases and technology in at least 21 states during the 2016 election cycle. Most notably, South Carolina is one of only five states where voting machines do not provide a backup paper trail of the vote.
The Senate Intelligence Committee recently released a report on the security of the nation’s election systems, which are and should remain the responsibility of state governments.
The Intelligence Committee predicted that Russian efforts to compromise state election systems can be expected again this year and in 2020. It recommended that the federal government improve its efforts to monitor attempted attacks and take earlier action than in 2016 to alert state authorities of suspected hacking attempts.
The report found that hackers linked to Russia succeeded in accessing the Illinois voter registration files but made no changes. It also found that a number of other states had voter files that could have been hacked. But it found no evidence that any votes where changed.
To minimize the risks of further attacks on state elections systems, committee recommendations included that voting machines produce a paper trail and be incapable of connection to the internet directly or via Wi-Fi.
It also recommended that the federal government increase spending to help states. South Carolina will receive $6 million from the federal Elections Assistance Commission, Mr. Whitmire said. But efforts in Congress to increase federal elections grants are stalled, so that may be all South Carolina can expect from Washington.
The Senate report found that many states are not spending adequate sums to upgrade election technology and improve the security of voting and data systems for the 2018 elections and subsequent contests. South Carolina should not be among them.
Online: https://www.postandcourier.com
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