Richland Rep. Jimmy Bales says goodbye as 22 years in SC House comes to an end
South Carolina Rep. Jimmy Bales, a Democrat from Lower Richland, was elected to the General Assembly’s “infamous” class of 1998, a “unique” group in the Legislature that would slow down the Republican takeover in the chamber, said House Speaker Jay Lucas.
That year, three Republicans and nine Democrats were elected, Lucas said.
“There were so many Democrats and so few Republicans that the speaker wouldn’t take a team picture with the class of ‘98,” said Lucas, R-Darlington. “So, there is no record of the class of ‘98. And soon, all you’ll have to remember of the class of ‘98 is me and Mr. (Todd) Rutherford,” another Richland Democrat elected to the house that year.
Dr. Bales, as he’s affectionately called by colleagues, spent 22 years in the S.C. House that followed years of service in education and on Richland County Council. On Wednesday, he waved goodbye to his House colleagues, forgoing the traditional farewell speech and remaining at his desk.
Bales, who turns 85 on Friday, lost his lower Richland House District 80 seat in the June primary to newcomer Jermaine Johnson, a 35-year-old College of Charleston graduate who worked on presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s campaign.
Johnson will face Republican Vincent Wilson in November.
With Bales watching on, the S.C. House speaker told colleagues he learned early on that if as a lawmaker people wanted to do well in the chamber, every Wednesday go in 10 minutes early and meet and talk to people and get to know their family.
“So, one of the first people I tried to do that with was Jimmy Bales,” Lucas said. “And I found that Jimmy Bales’ legacy is a lifetime of public service to South Carolina.”
There, Lucas said he learned Bales was actually a native Virginian, and came to South Carolina by way of Fort Jackson. He later became a teacher, then working as principal of Lower Richland High School. He’d go on to serve on Richland County Council and joined the House in 1999, later chairing the county’s legislative delegation and sitting on the budget committee.
“We talk about education a lot. Jimmy is education,” Lucas said. “Jimmy served as an educator in this state for 35 years. There is not a job in public education that Jimmy Bales has not had. ... He is a strong, fierce advocate for public education in South Carolina. ... Jimmy has left a tremendous legacy.”
Lucas also touched on Bales’ health, which in the last few years had resulted in at least three medical trips from the Capitol.
“Jimmy’s hardheaded. He would get sick and I would call him and tell him not to come to session, that he needed to stay home to rest. And he’d say, ‘Yes sir, Mr. Speaker, I’m not coming in,’ and next Tuesday he’d be here,” Lucas said, adding that he became even more worried during the state’s COVID-19 outbreak, though Bales would still show up each time for work.
“That is the type of man that Jimmy Bales was. That is the type of man that he is,” said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland. “It was an honor to have served with you. It is an honor to be elected with you. And all of us love you so much.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
