PRIMARY CANDIDATE ANALYSIS PHASE FOUR

BERKELEY COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6

Now here's a race chuck full of fun and surprises. We will attempt to stay on task but there is so much associated intrigue to this one that we may, at times, veer off the mark. First, the incumbent.

Jack Schurlknight is the present Chairman of the Finance Committee. This turn of events was one result of the 2009 reorganization of Council. This position was Jack's gift for his cooperation in Supervisor Davis' take over of county government. To say that Jack is over his head would be a gross understatement. Jack's expertise with matters of finance is somewhat equivalent to a blue jay's knowledge of scripture. I digress. Some history will make the picture a bit more clear.

Between 2007, when Mr. Davis became Supervisor, and 2009, there were many battles between Council and Mr. Davis. More times than not, Mr. Davis didn't get his way. Mr. Davis seemed obsessed with the desire to destroy anything "Rosier". (And, from the things he was trying to do, that seemed to include BC.) During these first two years, Council was composed of 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats. After reorganization, there was a very different split. Afterwards, there were 4 Republicans, 2 Democrats, and 2 RINOs. This split the vote 4 to 4 with Mr. Davis having the deciding vote. Consequently, Mr. Davis didn't have to worry anymore about Council's opposition.

It was obvious how Mr. Davis secured Mr. Pinckney's (D) support. Mr. Davis gave him a $2.24 million water line to his front door. Mr. Steve Davis followed Mr. Pinckney's lead simply because he is a loyal Democrat. Mr. Schurlknight was given the impression that he was relevant by being elected Chairman of the Finance Committee. As far as we have been able to learn, Mr. Call didn't receive anything but, after all, he wouldn't have even been aware of any slight.

If this was the whole picture, it would be bad enough but it gets worse. Mr. Davis' plan worked like a charm. With the purchased cooperation of the two Democrats and the two RINOs, Mr. Pinckney, a very liberal Democrat, was elected Vice- Chairman of County Council. Supervisor Davis cast the deciding vote to make this happen. From that time to this, the vote on almost every important issue has been split 4/4, with Mr. Davis casting the deciding vote.

Mr. Schurlknight has come up with every excuse in the book why he always votes with the Democrats. Personally, we aren't buying any of it. And, from the 'talk around town', neither are the other voters. If you don't believe it, just try mentioning Mr. Schurlknight's name at Howards or The Round Table. Here's where the other twist comes in. Let's add this up. Supervisor Davis needs to maintain his 4/4 split in the vote on Council. Now that Mr. Schurlknight has sold his political soul to the Democrats, he has lost most of his district's Conservative support. It is common knowledge that District 6 will have a new representative after this election. Armed with this knowledge, Supervisor Davis is hedging his bet and has gone elsewhere for his necessary 4th vote.

We could almost feel sympathy for Mr. Schurlknight's position except for the fact that he sold out the Republican Party. We have had enough of the Democrats AND the RINOs. It's time for the Conservatives to take back our government, starting at the County level. Mr. Schurlknight, we do hope you are comfortable under that bus.

Mr. Terry Hardesty is challenging for the 6th District Council seat. Mr. Hardesty is a seated member of the Berkeley County School Board. He is a Navy and Vietnam veteran. Mr. Hardesty is an independent businessman, working as both a real estate agent and an agent for a national insurance firm.

In years past, the BC School District leadership operated in such a manner that the taxpayers were saddled with an inordinate tax burden to support their reckless spending. Mr. Hardesty and others ran for the School Board because of a desire to correct these problems. He realized that the existing process was not working as it should and that throwing more money at a problem would not result in a solution. Mr. Hardesty's common sense and business sense told him there had to be a better way.

After being elected, Mr. Hardesty, along with fellow board member, Jimmy Hinson, spearheaded the successful effort to secure the hiring of a fiscally conservative School Superintendent. Also, Mr. Hardesty has always supported positions that were in the best interest of the students AND the taxpayers. Despite cuts of millions of dollars in State funds over the last two years, the school district has managed to maintain a healthy fund balance and keep school taxes at the lowest possible levels. Mr. Hardesty has supported the efforts of the new Superintendent to streamline the district office thereby lowering costs.

Mr. Hardesty is a true Conservative in every sense of the word. He supports fiscal as well as personal responsibility. He would be a welcome addition to the BC Council. And, we have secured Mr. Hardesty's solemn vow that he would never, ever, ever vote for a Democrat for the position of Vice-Chairman of County Council.

Based on Mr. Hardesty's business experience, his Conservative values, and, most of all, because of his reputation of integrity and good character, (we should include intelligence proved by the fact that he married up) we wholeheartedly support his efforts in this race.

We only have two concrete facts about the third candidate in this race, Mr. Steve Evans. He paid his filing fee with a money order (?) and he spent his time in the filing office expounding upon the fact that he is such good friends with Supervisor Davis. Sorry, again, Jack.