Ours is a wonderful state, and our people are second to none. Unfortunately, however, by many measures our government fails to measure up to the promise of its citizens. As a result, we fall short of our potential.

I’m running for State House to help change the way government operates… to push for the reforms needed to truly create a better, brighter future for South Carolina. There are ten specific reforms to which I am committed:

1. Term limits. Career politicians are the root of many of our state’s problems, because they tend to resist change – even badly-needed reforms. Legislative term limits will ensure a constant flow of new people and fresh perspectives, which is healthy for government. Term limits will help end the cycle of politics as usual at the State House.

In order to set the right example, I’ll limit myself to no more than three terms in the House.)

2. Agency restructuring to streamline costs and reduce waste and duplication. There are numerous ways we can improve efficiency – without sacrificing essential services – through restructuring. For example, the S.C. Comptroller has proposed merging the state’s two financial offices – the Comptroller’s Office and the Treasurer’s Office – to save taxpayers millions of dollars annually.

3. Regular audits of state agencies, in order to identify and eliminate waste and duplication and ensure state programs and services are achieving their intended result.

4. Greater transparency.  State government must make public records more easily accessible to its citizens. One specific action we must take is to end the legal loophole allowing lawmakers to keep their emails secret. (While the S.C. Freedom of Information Act requires most public officials’ emails and other correspondence to be made available to the public, the state Legislature exempts itself from this law.)

Government works best when citizens can see how decisions are made.

5. Ethics reform to hold better politicians accountable. Specifically, there should be independent oversight of legislators’ conduct. Under the current system, House and Senate members are permitted to “self-police;” Ethics complaints against House and Senate members are investigated by their colleagues in the House and Senate, rather than the independent State Ethics Commission. This must change.

6. Lobbyist reform. Members of the Legislature should be required to report any contact by any lobbyist, so their constituents can know who’s trying to influence them.

7. Better prioritization... including prioritizing schools in the annual budget.  We must do a better job of prioritizing our most vital issues – including education – in the state budget. The needs of our schools, our students and our teachers should always come first at budget time, ahead of less-critical issues and frivolous “pet projects.”

8. Limiting time spent on ceremonial functions. Both chambers of the Legislature, the House and the Senate, spend countless hours each year on ceremonial resolutions, proclamations and photo-ops – while pressing issues remain unaddressed. House and Senate rules should be changed to limit such ceremonial activities – or, at the very least, to hold off until the budget is passed.

9. Ending cronyism and political patronage. State government boards and commissions should be filled with only the most qualified applicants, rather than lawmakers’ friends or campaign donors. The vetting and selection of applicants should be done by an independent body to remove politics from the process.

And there must be independent judicial selection. (South Carolina is one of just two states where lawmakers elected judges; the result is a system in which political connections outweigh qualifications.)