Lieutenant Governor: Bakari Sellers (Democrat)
Year of birth: 1984
Number of years living in the district you seek to represent: 30
Family: Single, no children
Education: Morehouse College, B.A. 2005, University of S.C. Law School, J.D. 2008
Employment, military and volunteer history: SGA President and member of the Board of Trustees at Morehouse College; member SC Steering Committee of Obama for America 2007-2008; member St Philip's Episcopal Church.
Current occupation/employer: Attorney, The Strom Law Firm
Please list all public offices to which you’ve been elected, when and where: Elected S.C. State Representative from District 90 in 2006.
Please list year and office of any unsuccessful runs for public office: N/A
Other political and government experience: Member of the SC Steering Committee of Obama for America 2007-2008
Key endorsements you’ve received: Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols, York Mayor Eddie Lee, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, Florence Mayor Steven Wukela, Marguerite Willis, member, Nexsen Pruet, South Carolina Education Association.
1. What makes you the most qualified person to hold this position? (Be specific.)
One word. Progress. My opponent has been running for office longer than I have been alive. And now he is running for Lt Governor (a second time). I have plenty of experience in government (as much as Nikki Haley when she became governor) but I am also enough of an outsider to know that doing things the way they have been done for the past three decades is not good enough. To me this campaign is not about what South Carolina is, it's not about what South Carolina was, but about what South Carolina can be. I am the one person in this race who has plan to make us the best state we can be; the state we deserve to be.
2. What will be your top three priorities if you are elected? (100 words for each issue)
Propose a plan to improve South Carolina’s public schools. Our State Constitution only requires that the state provide a "minimally adequate" public education - a phrase that has unfortunately come to accurately describe the quality of public education for too many students in South Carolina for decades. As Lieutenant Governor, I would advocate for an overhaul of the State spending formula, find innovative ways to engage parents in their children's education and boost graduation rates while calling for new investments in the state's technical college system to help funnel well trained workers onto 21st century jobs.
Develop a blueprint for economic competitiveness . For the past decade, South Carolina's economy has experienced a "triple whammy" -- chronic unemployment, declining labor force participation and stagnant median income. My plan to put South Carolinians back to work: 1) modernizes the state's tax code; 2) identifies and eliminates burdensome state regulations; 3) calls for new investments in the state's technical college system that aligns their work with the needs of local economies; 4) modernizes the state's roads and infrastructure.
Protect our seniors . As Lieutenant Governor, I would be responsible for directing the State Office on Aging. Our seniors have become the targets of financial scams. I would propose to the Governor the creation of an interagency taskforce between the Office of Aging, the Attorney General and the Office of Consumer Affairs to educate our seniors and prosecute people seeking to take advantage of them through financial scams. (I have developed a detailed six point plan which I would be pleased to share with you.)
3a. For non-incumbents: How would your approach to your job differ from the incumbent’s?
There is no incumbent in this race, it is an open seat.
4. Describe at least one significant political position you hold that would clash with your political base.
I-73. I am a advocate for the completion of I-73 because I see it as an economic catalyst, not just for the Grand Strand, but for the small communities in its path that have been left behind while other areas have begun to find ways to develop a 21st century economy. It's not good enough just to bring Boeing to Charleston and BMW to Greenville. We have to make sure that each and every region in our state experiences job growth and a better quality of life. While I know my base agrees with me on that principle, they certainly have not all gotten on board with I-73.
5. Have you ever been convicted of a crime, been disciplined by a professional licensing board or organization or had an ethics complaint filed against you? If so, please give the details.
N/A
6. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy or been delinquent on your federal, state or local taxes? If so, please give the details.
Delinquent one year in state taxes.
7. Are there any personal details about you that voters would be interested in knowing?
I thoroughly enjoy helping the people of my district improve their lives. Serving my state has been an extreme privilege.
This story was originally published October 22, 2014 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Lieutenant Governor: Bakari Sellers (Democrat)."