Economic development infrastructure includes state, local political leadership
By Bill Settlemyer
Executive Publisher
The final day of this year’s legislative session in Columbia ended on a high note for the Charleston region with state Rep. Bobby Harrell being named to the key role of Speaker of the House.
Much has been made of the rising clout of Lowcountry politicians. You might call it “the perfect political storm” as our area is now home to the state’s governor as well as key leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives.
For newcomers to the region, this may seem less remarkable than to those who have lived here two decades or more, as I have.
In the past, the reputation of our legislative delegation was more for infighting and ineffectiveness than anything else. Instead of trying to accomplish things in Columbia, they seemed more intent on acting like a “super government” for the region, micro-managing local issues that should have been entrusted to city and county governments.
Whether that bad rap was fully deserved is a matter for the history books, but for now, we can be thankful that the delegation’s performance has improved and that Bobby Harrell and Sen. Glenn McConnell are playing key roles in Columbia.
Both men have demonstrated a keen understanding of legislative politics, including the need to build alliances and work with legislators in both parties from around the state. They understand that successful political leadership involves both adherence to principles and a spirit of compromise that acknowledges the priorities and interests of other legislators and their constituents.
Gov. Mark Sanford’s position seems far more tenuous. Even though he is personally gracious and soft spoken, his political approach has always been to challenge and confront the conventional wisdom, eschewing the idea that “to get along, you have to go along.”
I can certainly relate to that mindset in my role as a newspaper publisher and columnist. But while that approach is a pretty good fit for a publisher, it does not work very well in the political arena. The most successful governors in South Carolina’s history have succeeded by building alliances with key leaders in the Legislature at the same time that they appealed to the public for support.
Political infrastructure, economic development
I don’t spend a great deal of time with elected leaders, but when I do, I try to thank them for their service. Some of our political leaders, including a number of area mayors, are in political life on a full-time basis at a full-time salary, but most others receive little or no monetary compensation for their efforts. They spend countless hours at hearings and meetings and are more likely to be on the receiving end of complaints than expressions of appreciation for their efforts.
At all levels of government, South Carolina needs the best political leadership it can recruit and retain. So much is at stake, including our quality of life and the growth of economic opportunity for the people of South Carolina.
Whether they serve full time or part time and paid or unpaid, we must have high expectations for the performance of our political leaders. We need to work hard to persuade good people to run for office, help them get elected and work with them when they take office.
The reality is that the performance of our political leaders is part and parcel of our economic development infrastructure. Take a look at some of the key “product development” issues identified in the AngelouEconomics report mapping out strategies to grow the region’s economy. The challenges of improving public and higher education, maintaining and building roads and finding a way to grow the port’s capacity in a crowded urban area are all issues that are highly dependent on state and local political decision-making.
Everybody in the sandbox
What about the relationship between business and political leaders in the region? I’d say the performance is uneven at best. Business and political leaders “play well together” in efforts to attract new industry to the region, but on other issues, we probably need to work more closely together and increase the amount of communication, discussion and debate between business and political leaders.
A good case in point is the political catfight about the Watson Hill development. As cities and counties continue to bump heads over annexation and zoning disputes, the situation cries out for a regional approach.
To be fair, there is probably no tougher local political issue than a city’s growth. A certain amount of conflict over zoning and development issues is probably healthy, necessary and unavoidable, but we are far exceeding whatever that “certain amount” should be. And while the disputes rage on, traffic flows (or should I say “traffic non-flows”) are getting worse. If we are not careful, poorly managed growth in our cities and counties will emerge as a major barrier to further economic growth as well.
What’s the bottom line? The success of our regional economy is highly dependent on good political decision-making and leadership. The region’s business community should be actively engaged with our political leaders at all levels, working side-by-side with them to produce the best possible solutions to the difficult challenges we face as a region.
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