OUTRAGEOUS LACK OF LEADERSHIP

After receiving and reading the latest political flyer from Supervisor Dan Davis, we must all agree that he is unparalleled in one area, putting lipstick on a pig. Therefore, we would like to elaborate on some of his claims to success enumerated in this latest mail-out.

Mr. Davis claims success in "LOWERING DEBT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM".

FACT: Mr. Davis did, indeed, lower county debt BUT he did so by illegally taking $10 MILLION from the fund balance of the Berkeley County Water And Sanitation Authority. Statute clearly states that "revenue from a utility may only be used for the operations of that utility and for no other purposes". Water and Sanitation is defined by law as a utility. Mr. Davis, however,  determined it was a "department of BC government and had made an interdepartmental transfer of funds".  Unfortunately for Mr. Davis, his "determination" cannot supersede SC Statute.  

FACT: Mr. Davis, also, drastically "reformed" BC government. Through his manipulation of Council Rules, he "reformed" all Conservative influence from County Council. He and his coalition of Liberals on Council, executed a 4/4 tie vote, with Mr. Davis voting the tie breaker, on every policy and spending issue. This effort resulted in an inability for the Conservative members of Council to prevent the reckless spending of taxpayer money. This situation lasted for over 4 years until an additional Conservative was elected to Council in 2013.

Mr. Davis claims success in "ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE".

FACT: Indeed, vast improvements have been made to Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 17A since the implementation of the Local Option Sales Tax. In case you didn't know, this tax burden rests exclusively on the backs of the people of Berkeley County. However, there is one additional fact of which most people in BC are unaware.  Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 17A are STATE HIGHWAYS and are, therefore, the responsibility of the STATE. Mr. Davis made no issue of this fact to the State but, willingly, placed this additional burden on the backs of the BC taxpayers.

FACT: Mr. Davis could not have pursued his agenda without his 4 dependable votes on Council. Two of these supporting votes were Liberal Democrats. In one case, the vote of one Liberal Democrat was secured with the construction of a waterline. This Hwy. 311, 12 inch, waterline serves a total of less than 10 households. The line, also, terminates at the front door of said Councilman. In order to maintain the quality of the water in this line and to prevent poisoning the few people who use the water, the line must be purged on a daily bases. This operation results in literally millions of gallons of drinking water being dumped annually since installation in 2008. In order to establish full disclosure, there were other water lines installed in the district of the other Liberal Democrat. But, these lines were installed over the protest of that District's Democrat Councilman. Even he claimed these "improvements" were a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Davis claims that, over the last 7 years, he has "PROVIDED A BALANCED BUDGET".

FACT: South Carolina Law dictates that counties maintain a balanced budget.

Mr. Davis claims success in "ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT".

FACT:  The deal for the establishment of Google in BC was being finalized during the transition from the last administration to that of Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis played no part in establishing the agreement. At that time, Mr. Davis made no secret of the fact that he disapproved of the Google deal. Since that time, in 2006, Google has expanded, with no input or involvement from Mr. Davis. However, at every opportunity, (including this flyer) Mr. Davis has taken full credit for the benefits Google's presence has provided to BC.

FACT: In raw numbers, over the last 7 years, Berkeley County has lost more industries than it has gained.

Mr. Davis claims success in "JOB CREATION".

FACT: During the last election cycle, Mr. Davis claimed to have created 2300 new jobs for the people of BC. Upon closer analysis, it was determined that the actual number of jobs created was 80, with the remainder listed as "possible jobs over the next 20 years".  This election cycle, we have been denied access to the list of supposed new employers used to establish this year's claims. Using deductive reasoning and a preponderance of the evidence, one could only conclude this year's actual numbers are comparable to those of last election cycle.

FACT: BC has the highest unemployment rate in the Tri-County area.

Mr. Davis claims to have taken a pay cut to balance the budget.

FACT: During his first budget process after he was elected for his first term, he included a $20,000 pay for himself while maintaining there was no money available for a County employee pay raise.

Mr. Davis possesses an uncanny ability to "cherry pick" from his record. He publicizes only the positive portions of his history while ignoring the true picture and the factual consequences of his actions. When examined as whole cloth, Mr. Davis has demonstrated poor leadership at every juncture of his tenure.  His years as Supervisor have resulted in a divided Council, a lack of employment opportunities for our citizens, and a waste of the potential of Berkeley County.

UPDATE:

We planned to end this post after covering the claims on Wednesday's flyer but, low and behold, yet another flyer arrived in the mail today containing even more outrageous claims and accusations. This latest piece of propaganda gets a bit more personal. Contained therein, are attacks not only on his opponent but, also, on members of County Council and the former administration.

ATTACKING HIS OPPONENT'S PROFESSION

In this latest attempt to secure votes, Mr. Davis disparages his opponent for being a L-A-W-Y-E-R. The tone of his remark would indicate he perceives a person engaged in such a profession to be unqualified to lead BC. When one examines Mr. Davis' resume, it becomes clear why he would take such a position. Mr. Davis can truthfully boast of two main accomplishment:

1. Mr. Davis was the Administrator for the City of Hanahan. This would sound impressive until you look closer at that pig. The day Mr. Davis began that job, Hanahan had a surplus of $1 MILLION. The day he left that job, Hanahan had a $3 MILLION deficit.

2. Mr. Davis was, also, the proprietor of a flea market. This shining star has shone brightest amidst his list of accomplishments.


ATTACKING HIS OPPONENT'S CONSERVATISM

Mr. Davis had to go back over a decade to find one single example to provide his "proof" for this statement. We had to go back but a year to find undeniable evidence in the form of Council minutes that Mr. Davis voted in lock step with the Liberal Democrats on County Council for over 4 years.

ATTACKING HIS OPPONENT AS "TAX AND SPEND"

Mr. Davis provided NO examples for this accusation against his opponent.

However, we can provide a few examples of Mr. Davis' supposed "Conservative" approach:

1. Mr. Davis spent $1.6 MILLION to purchase a swamp.
2. Mr. Davis wanted to spend $16 MILLION on the Carolina Nursery property on speculation.
3. Mr. Davis spent $2.4 MILLION on a waterline to nowhere.
4. Mr. Davis took $10 MILLION from Water and Sanitation's Fund Balance.
5. Mr. Davis was at the helm for TWO Local Option Sales Tax initiatives.
6. Mr. Davis was at the helm for increases in Water and Sanitation rates.
7. Mr. Davis was at the helm for the reassessment increases.
8. Mr. Davis IS at the helm for the purposed new Storm Water Management Fee.

Mr. Davis even alluded to the possibility that his nemesis may be poised for a return. (this obsession is verging on clinical) In his flyer, Mr. Davis uses terms like "Good Old Boy System of Government". He says his opponent will "return BC to high debt, high unemployment, and zero growth." Mr. Davis has "assumed" that all the voters of BC are uninformed as to the condition of their government. Mr. Davis has "assumed", by the use of buzz words, the voters can be fooled. Mr. Davis has made a huge mistake by bringing these issues to the attention of the voters. The truth of the matter is that BC NOW has unnecessary debt; BC NOW has high unemployment; and BC NOW has lower growth than what is possible.

It is passed the time that the voters of BC take the initiative to right this ship of state. We must rid the County of its dividers and seek out those who possess the leadership abilities to bring the differing factions together for the benefit of the County. Berkeley County has the potential to lead the State in every area. We have much of the necessary talent already seated on Council. With the addition of one more Conservative, we can maintain our strong Council form of government. We have a population standing in the wings ready to do the work required as soon as the jobs are available. We have the natural resources to accommodate any business that wishes to locate here as soon as we remove the impediments.  Now, all we need is the LEADERSHIP.

Please remember to vote next Tuesday, June 24th. For the sake of your County

VOTE JAMES LAW COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6

VOTE BILL PEAGLER COUNTY SUPERVISOR