Republican incumbent state Rep. Wallace Scarborough and Democratic challenger Anne Peterson Hutto are sparring over $7,000 Scarborough's campaign received from New York real estate investor and school choice advocate Howard Rich.
Scarborough has received at least seven separate $1,000 donations from Rich's groups that had the same 73 Spring St. address in New York.
"This is just another example of bad judgment by Wallace Scarborough," Hutto said. "People on James Island and Folly Beach don't want their representative making deals with characters like Howard Rich that would hurt our public and charter schools."
Scarborough said these are the same groups that support Gov. Mark Sanford, whom he also supports. "They have the same kind of philosophy as the governor. Because I've supported them, they've given me money," he said. "She's gotten a ton of money from trial lawyers. ... That's because they agree with her philosophy."
Both have raised almost $100,000 for their District 115 contest, one of the Lowcountry's most hotly contested state House races. The district includes most of James Island and Folly Beach.
Scarborough has almost three times as much cash on hand, $65,239 versus $19,021 for Hutto, heading into the home stretch. The scrutiny about Scarborough's donations from Rich comes as a new Web site — fighthowardrich.org — aims to draw new public scrutiny to Rich's agenda and how much he has given to South Carolina candidates.
Though the Web site was created by the South Carolina New Democrats, its figures show Lowcountry Democrats have been as willing to accept Rich's largesse as Republicans. Democratic candidates Wendell Gilliard and incumbent state Sen. Robert Ford have received $5,000 and $8,000, respectively, while state Rep. Heyward Hutson, who lost his District 94 primary battle, accepted $7,000, according to the Web site. It does not list the amount given to Scarborough, whose donations turned up on a State Ethics Commission filing earlier this week.
The Web site calls Rich "an extremely wealthy New York real estate developer and libertarian political activist" trying to convince the South Carolina Legislature to divert public money to private schools through school vouchers and tax credits, an idea that Sanford also has championed.
New Democrats president Phil Noble, a Charleston businessman, said, "What Rich is doing is just plain wrong and we want to fight him by exposing him and the South Carolina politicians that take his 'shady money.' Rich's education voucher scheme is nothing less than a radical social experiment that endangers our children by undermining our education system."
Hutto vowed to "fight for our public and charter schools, and I'll put people over special interests groups."
Scarborough said that while he supports school choice, he is not for vouchers. "There's been no larger advocate for the charter school system than Wallace Scarborough," he said. "When Democrats tried to defeat and kills James Island Charter High School, I stood up on the House floor and defeated the Democrats."
Indigo Journal
October 21, 2008 - Full Article
Looks like Wallace Scarborough isn't just providing service with a smile to the loan shark industry. He also appearto be a beneficiary of billionaire fanatic Howard Rich's largesse.
123 Lasalle Associates A Partnership 09/23/2008 1,000.00
123 Lasalle Inc. 09/29/2008 1,000.00
188 Claremont LLC 09/04/2008 1,000.00
332 E 11 LLC A Partnership 09/15/2008 1,000.00
405 49 Associates 09/14/2008 1,000.00
4220 Broadway Inc. 09/08/2008 1,000.00
4220 Broadway LLC 09/30/2008 1,000.00
Joseph Stillwell 09/15/2008 1,000.00
Paul R. Farago 09/04/2008 1,000.00
Rich has gained fame for his underhanded attempts to influence South Carolina elections by funding candidates who support his risky private school voucher plan. Rich supports diverting public school funding to private academies, as well as threatening organizations who oppose him.
Today, Anne Peterson Hutto, Scarborough's opponent in the November 4th election, made the following statement:
"This is just another example of bad judgment by Wallace Scarborough. People on James Island and Folly Beach don't want their representative making deals with characters like Howard Rich that would hurt our public and charter schools, Peterson Hutto said. "I'll say NO to people like Howard Rich, I'll fight for our public and charter schools and I'll put people over special interests groups."
Two residents in District 115, including James Island and Folly Beach, say they have received a push poll with the pollster making at least one false assertion about Democratic candidate Anne Peterson-Hutto. Her opponent, Republican incumbent Wallace Scarborough says that he’s unfamiliar with the polls, which included negative questions about him, as well.
Carl Miller, a Peterson-Hutto supporter, says he questioned the legitimacy of the call, but agreed to answer the questions. According to Miller, the pollster stated that Peteron-Hutto had never voted in an election in South Carolina until she voted for herself in this year’s primary. He was then asked if that would influence his opinion about the candidate. Peterson-Hutto, who has lived in the Charleston area for 12 years, has provided state voter documents confirming her votes in both the 2004 and 2006 general elections. Miller said the pollster was vague when pressed about who she was calling for. Another voter said she had received a similar call.
“I don’t know why someone would spread untruths about me like that,” Peterson-Hutto says. “That’s the kind of politics people are sick of.”
Miller notes that the pollster also asked a leading question regarding Scarborough’s background, though that question was based on a factual high-profile 2006 incident. Scarborough says he’s running a positive campaign and that it wouldn’t make sense to dredge up old stories about himself.
Charleston City Paper
October 6, 2008 - Full Article
From the Peterson Hutto camp:
Today, State House candidate Anne Peterson Hutto expressed disappointment that her opponent has declined to participate in tomorrow’s League of Women Voters candidate forum on James Island. Incumbent Wallace Scarborough turned down two separate dates for the forum claiming a conflict.
“These forums provide an excellent opportunity for voters to hear from the candidates and personally ask the tough questions. I wouldn’t be running if I wasn’t willing to personally face the voters,” Peterson Hutto said. “My entire campaign is based on talking with people about issues that matter. I’m disappointed that Rep. Scarborough isn’t doing the same thing. It’s hard to offer ’service with a smile’ by running away from the people you’re supposed to serve.”
Because Scarborough has declined to take part in the forum, League rules prohibit Peterson Hutto from fully participating. She will be able to address attendees before the actual forum begins. Instead, the forum will feature candidates running for other offices including Rep. Leon Stavrinakis and his opponent Chris Cannon. Peterson Hutto is planning to stay at the forum until completion in order to answer any individual questions attendees may have.
We featured the race in our last issue, including referencing Scarborough’s pride in his constiuent service.
Charleston City Paper
October 1, 2008 - Full Article
After a campaign plagued by scandal in 2006 and a dramatic third-party challenge this summer, the two major party candidates for S.C. House District 115 representing James Island and Folly Beach are sticking to the issues. Republican Rep. Wallace Scarborough held onto his seat by a scant 40 votes in the last election, but he's confident his stock has risen. Democrat Anne Peterson-Hutto says that voters aren't getting the ear of their legislators.
Peterson-Hutto is a newcomer to politics. She's lived on the island for 12 years and works as a local attorney. With two small children, she says her number one priority is education.
"We've been last on too many lists for too long," she says.
Teachers are concerned about pay and discipline, Peterson-Hutto says, while parents are telling her quality has to improve. Money siphoned by the state needs to come back to Charleston schools, she says, and teachers need more support, including additional resources and salary increases.
Many James Island residents are spending too much alone time with their cars in the daily commute, Peterson-Hutto says. Highway funds need to be increased, she says, as well as funding for alternatives like bike lanes and walking trails. These programs in particular could pull some of the school-year traffic off of the roads, she says. Improved mass transit will be important and another key will be closely monitoring developments.
"There's only so much these two islands can take," she says.
The state's economic crisis will take a bipartisan approach, Peterson-Hutto says, as well as more careful consideration than across-the-board cuts.
"We're going to have to make sure we keep our eye on our priorities," she says. "The danger is simplifying the problem."
Peterson-Hutto says the state needs to keep all options on the table regarding the blossoming energy debate in the Statehouse, looking at wind and solar energy and whether nuclear energy is feasible considering lingering waste concerns.
Accessibility will be a top priority for Peterson-Hutto if she's elected.
"People want to be able to talk to their representative," she says.
Scarborough, a local insurance agent with two children of his own, has spent eight years in the legislature.
He's happy to point to his recent endorsement by the Conservation Voters of South Carolina. He says he's worked very hard on green issues like beach renourishment and stopping bridges to small islands.
"I vote green," he says.
The state has been fostering alternative energy, Scarborough says, including grants and tax incentives for hydrogen research. If the debate over off-shore drilling reaches the Statehouse, there will be serious questions to weigh.
"If we drill, it can't be a detriment to our coastline or tourism," he says.
The equitable funding for schools will continue to be an issue, Scarborough says. He proposes funding schools on a per student basis and sending that funding with students if they transfer between schools. Scarborough also wants more parent investment by giving them more control over spending and curriculum at individual schools.
"They don't feel like they have a voice," he says.
With a mandate to balance the budget, Scarborough says lean times are going to make tough choices necessary.
"There's only two things you can do: raise taxes or cut services," he says.
The key will be seeking out waste and consolidating programs, Scarborough says, echoing calls made by Gov. Mark Sanford for reform.
Changes in Medicaid should help fill some of the funding gap. Scarborough says he's working with others to propose tax incentives to get people to voluntarily exit the state's Medicaid program.
"It should be a safety net," he says. "Not an entitlement program."
There's little that can be done about traffic, Scarborough says, aside from efforts to replace failing bridges and improve dangerous intersections. Other road projects would either be cost prohibitive or largely unpopular, he says, but he welcomes alternatives.
Scarborough says his family has a history of working for the people of James Island and the Charleston area and he's still committed to constituent service. He also says his time in the Statehouse has built seniority that secures state aid for local needs.
Republican state Rep. Wallace Scarborough said his support of the Morris Island lighthouse project, the James Island Charter High School and parts of Gov. Mark Sanford's agenda illustrate why he deserves a fifth term in Columbia.
Democratic newcomer Anne Peterson Hutto said that after Scarborough's eight years in office, the problems facing House District 115 covering James Island and Folly Beach remain much the same, including local growth and traffic woes, along with various statewide problems as well.
"We are last in too many categories, especially education," she said.
Scarborough, 49, an insurance company vice president, barely won re-election two years ago after defeating Democrat Eugene Platt by about 40 votes.
But Platt is not on the ballot this year after losing the June Democratic primary to Peterson Hutto, and after two courts turned back his attempts to run on the Green Party ticket.
Peterson Hutto, 41, an attorney, moved to Charleston from New York City after meeting her future husband here during a visit in 1996. For this campaign, she's walking door to door most days or campaigning after work.
Strengthening education is the first campaign plank she talks about. She favors expanding vocational education and early childhood education and boosting teachers' roles as professionals.
Traffic problems on the islands can be addressed by stressing mass transit and encouraging bike lanes, she said. "We've got to get people out of their cars," she said.
Scarborough said one key coastal fight he wants to address is enforcing fairness in insurance coverage as it relates to flood and wind zones.
He's against "cherry picking" in which some insurance companies are writing policies only north or west of Interstate 95. He thinks at least a percentage of their coverage must include homes in the hurricane zone.
Scarborough said he is proud of his record in opposing the expansion of bridges onto small inland islands for development and efforts in support of preserving the Morris Island lighthouse.
Most state House, Charleston County Council and other local candidates will participate in one of several forums next month, but there won't be a forum in two local races.
The forum's sponsors, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area, said Monday that incumbent District 115 state Rep. Wallace Scarborough declined to participate because of prior campaign commitments, and County Council District 6 incumbent Curtis Bostic had a previously scheduled event that couldn't be changed. Scarborough and Bostic face Democratic challengers Anne Peterson Hutto and Vic Rawl, respectively.
The league and chamber unveiled dates for four forums.
On Oct. 7, Republican challenger Chris Cannon and incumbent state Rep. Leon Stavrinakis will face off at 7 p.m. at the James Island Charter High School.
Also, the seven candidates for three seats on the James Island Public Service District board will get a chance to speak.
On Oct. 14, Cannon and Stavrinakis will face off again, along with state House District 109 candidates Republican Steven Smith and incumbent Democrat Rep. David Mack and state Senate 42 candidates Republican Scotty Sheriff and incumbent Democrat Sen. Robert Ford. That forum will be at 7 p.m. at the Charleston County Main Library.
On Oct. 21, the nine candidates for five seats on the Charleston County School Board will participate in a 7 p.m. forum at North Charleston City Hall.
And on Oct. 29, the candidates for County Council's District 3 and District 7 seats and Charleston County Coroner candidates Henry Middleton and incumbent Rae Wooten will participate in a 7:30 a.m. forum at Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce at 2750 Speissegger Drive in North Charleston.
In most cases, the candidates will get to make a brief introductory statement and then will be asked questions submitted by audience members. All forums are free and open to the public.
A political newcomer will face an incumbent Republican this fall in the race for the state House of Representatives seat for the James Island and Folly Beach area.
Anne Peterson Hutto handily defeated challenger Eugene Platt with 62 percent of the vote to win the Democrat primary for the District 115 seat, according to unofficial results with all precincts reporting. Peterson Hutto will face incumbent Wallace Scarborough Nov. 4.
"I'm upbeat, I'm ready to go and I'm very, very grateful for the support I've gotten in District 115," Peterson Hutto said from her victory party on Folly Beach. "More than anything else, this has been fun."
She said there's been so much talk about change and new ideas, and that's part of what encouraged her to run. She said she looked forward to an issue-based campaign against Scarborough, who has held the seat since 2000.
"I'm ready to make a difference," Peterson Hutto said.
Peterson Hutto, 40, who had never run for public office, said she decided to do so to improve the area's quality of life. An attorney, she said her priorities include strengthening state and local education through pay raises for teachers and equitable funding for schools, as well as improving local roads and controlling development.
Platt earned the nomination of the Green Party and the Working Families Party for the District 115 seat. His campaign manager said Platt hadn't decided whether to run on that nomination in November.
Two years ago, Democrat Eugene Platt barely missed out on winning the James Island/Folly Beach seat in the state House of Representatives, falling short to incumbent Republican Wallace Scarborough by 40 votes.
This year he's trying for the District 115 seat again, but first has to get by newcomer Anne Peterson Hutto in the June 10 Democratic primary.
"I'm running with more optimism than I did in 2006," said Platt, 69, who in January began walking door-to-door in the district's many neighborhoods. "I've shown to others as well as to myself that I can win. I'm working harder."
Peterson Hutto, 40, an attorney who has never sought public office, said she's ready to answer a lifelong calling of public service, and also the Democratic Party's call for more women in politics. "My life has been about working for individuals, that's what my practice has been," she said.
Peterson Hutto is a transplant from New York City. She met her husband in Charleston in 1996 when she came to visit friends. He's currently the chef at the U.S. Border Patrol train- ing station at the former Navy base.
Strengthening state and local education are among her key issues, including advocating pay raises for teachers and fair and equitable funding of schools. At the same time, she wants to reduce dropout rates while increasing classroom discipline.
"We have to lose this sense of we have good districts and bad districts," Peterson Hutto said.
Traffic is another issue facing the district. Peterson Hutto said the district's representative needs to fight for a bigger share of highway money to help fix or improve local routes. But she said she is "still learning and still reserving a decision" on whether she supports completing the full loop of the Mark Clark Expressway, which, as envisioned, would cross James Island and Folly Road.
Platt said he doesn't support completing the loop.
"I feel that it would cause more problems than it would help alleviate, including a very negative impact on the quality of life," he said, adding that a portion of James Island County Park apparently would be sliced if the road came through.
Of statewide concern, Platt said there is a lot of frustration over illegal immigration, and that he favors "reflecting those views in the Legislature," even if he finds himself at odds with other Democrats.
If Platt doesn't win the Democratic nomination June 10, he could still find his way onto the ballot in November.
He's also the nominee of the Working Families Party and said he was recently picked as the Green Party nominee for District 115.
Garry Baum, spokesman for the S.C. Election Commission, said it is possible under state law to be listed as a nominee of more than one political party, which is called being a "fusion" candidate.
With a slim 40-vote margin of victory, Rep. Wallace Scarborough narrowly beat back defeat in 2006. That terribly close race, along with a sense that voters are ready for "change," has two Democrats vying for the chance to take on the James Island Republican in November.
Eugene Platt, a member of the James Island Public Service District Commission, is making another go at the seat. This time, he'll have to first get through a primary challenge from James Island lawyer Anne Peterson-Hutto.
Peterson-Hutto says she's ready to listen to the concerns of voters in District 115 and take their voices to Columbia.
"Voters are telling me they're not getting the ear of their legislator," she says.
Peterson-Hutto supports strengthening the local school system by bringing the money back that Charleston deserves. The state's funding formula for schools has traditionally siphoned dollars away from Charleston and other wealthy counties, convinced that we can take care of ourselves. Teachers should receive more financial support, she says, with increased salaries and more resources in the classroom.
Traffic congestion is also a concern for voters, she says. Long trips during the morning and afternoon commutes aren't anything that voters have to explain to Peterson-Hutto — she's regularly in the thick of it on Harbor View Road. "There's lots of sitting," she says.
The county and municipalities are working on ways to address traffic in the district, but Peterson-Hutto says the legislature can play a role by encouraging development regulations, shoring up highway funds, and calling for close collaboration among the district's municipalities to make sure the roads can support the development.
Preservation and cooperation would also be priorities for Peterson-Hutto.
"I know how to work very hard with people to get things accomplished," she says regarding bridge building in the majority Republican Statehouse. "Education and the environment are issues that are important to all of us."
With such a close race in '06, Platt says it was an easy decision to run again. The problems he was ready to address two years ago haven't changed: controlling development and supporting an equitable tax system that's focused more on income than sales and property taxes.
According to Platt, South Carolina should emulate the sharp limits on development found in other parts of the nation, like Oregon and Santa Fe. The state could also ward off an influx of new residents by requiring new industries lured to the state to look at the local hiring pool instead of bringing in their own crew.
The state's income tax structure also needs updating, Platt says.
"Taxes are a three-legged stool of income, property, and sales taxes," he explains. "Legislators seem to think of sales taxes as a panacea."
Instead, Platt says the state should install a progressive income tax that would support the needy by requiring those with more revenue to take on more of the tax burden.
"I've knocked on thousands of doors," he says. "No one has complained about being burdened with excess state income taxes."
Continued struggles in the education system should be addressed by uniform education and funding standards statewide, along with a new focus on neighborhood schools instead of magnet programs that Platt says take the best and the brightest students, leaving a void where talented students used to motivate others.
Regarding his primary opponent, Platt welcomes the competition.
"I've encouraged her to run," he says of Peterson-Hutto. "A well-run primary in the absence of mudslinging can be beneficial not only for the candidate, but for the party."
The Post and Courier
March 27, 2008 - Full Article
Anne Peterson-Hutto has filed as a Democratic candidate for the S.C. House District 115 seat, which covers all of Folly Beach and 95 percent of James Island.
An election for the seat, held by Rep. Wallace Scarborough, will be in November. Scarborough recently announced that he is seeking re-election. He is the only Republican candidate who has filed at this time.
James Island Public Service District Commissioner Eugene Platt also has filed as a Democratic candidate. He announced his candidacy in December. Filing continues until noon Sunday.
According to the Charleston County Voter Registration Board, a primary election will be held June 10 between Platt and Peterson-Hutto. If no other Republican candidate files, Scarborough will face the winning Democratic candidate in November.
Peterson-Hutto is a local attorney who has lived on James Island for more than a decade. She is married to David Hutto and has two children, Matthew, 7, and Adrianne, 5. Peterson-Hutto is active with their schools and serves as a Cub Scout den mother. She is a member of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston.
Peterson-Hutto says that she plans to run a grass-roots campaign and will take her message directly to the voters.
"My goal is to talk with voters on a one-on-one basis and actually listen to people. Too many people go up to Columbia and spend their time hobnobbing with lobbyists, other politicians and special-interest groups, but not me. I want to work for people right here on James Island and Folly Beach.
"This is such a beautiful area, and I want to make sure it stays that way," she said.
Peterson-Hutto says she will work to preserve and improve the quality of life of the district by improving traffic congestion, enforcing environmental regulations and slowing out-of-control growth.
"Nobody will have to worry about me forgetting who I represent. I'll be back on the island every night possible with my husband and kids," she said.
Scarborough, who has held the seat for eight years, said he is running again mainly because he is being considered for chairman of the state's Labor and Commerce Committee. He said businesses that operate in the state go through the committee.
"If I get this chairmanship, I will be in a position to do a whole lot for James Island and Folly Beach," Scarborough said. "I have accomplished a lot of things, and I am moving up in the structure of the House."
Platt said he will work hard to beat Peterson-Hutto in the Democratic primary election. "I have met Ms. Peterson-Hutto on several occasions, and she impresses me as a genuinely nice person," he said. "Add the fact that, nationwide, voters are embracing the notion of change this year, and it becomes a good bet either Ms. Peterson-Hutto or Eugene Platt will be elected in November."
The race for the state House seat covering James Island and Folly Beach is getting more crowded, with two Democrats now vying to unseat Republican Rep. Wallace Scarborough.
Anne Peterson Hutto, a lawyer who lives on James Island, announced Tuesday she will be a candidate for the District 115 seat.
"My goal is to talk with voters on a one-on-one basis and actually listen to people," she said in a statement. "Too many people go up to Columbia and spend their time hobnobbing with lobbyists, other politicians and special-interest groups, but not me. I want to work for people right here on James Island and Folly Beach."
Peterson Hutto said her top issues include preserving and improving the quality of life by addressing traffic congestion, enforcing environmental regulations, and slowing "out-of-control" growth. "This is such a beautiful area and I want to make sure it stays that way," she said.
"People on James Island and Folly Beach deserve a representative who will not embarrass us and forget about us," she added. "We need someone who will put our interests first."
Peterson Hutto will face James Island Public Service District commissioner Eugene Platt in the June 10 Democratic primary.