Local legislators comment on governor‘s report card grades

All of Aiken County's Republican legislators got "A's" from Republican Gov. Nikki Haley Monday with one exception - Sen. Shane Massey, who got a "B" from the governor.

Not surprisingly, the Democratic lawmakers didn't fare very well. Rep. Bill Clyburn received a "C" from the first-year governor, while Sen. Nikki Setzler of Lexington got a "D." Massey was clearly displeased with his score.

"It's a little bit frustrating," he said. "It doesn't accurately reflect where people are on things. This is just a small snapshot. Different people and different groups have their own agendas."

Haley graded senators on their votes for on-the-record voting, Medicaid flexibility, tort reform, sustained budget vetoes and the unconstitutionality of local legislation.

"She graded us on four reform measures and vetoes," Massey said. "I'm absolutely with her on reform and was with her on most of the budget vetoes, but the total number I didn't sustain was not to her liking."

Most of these, he said, were related to ETV funding, which Haley wants to eliminate. There were several, and Massey voted to override her veto on all of them.

Receiving A's from the governor were Reps. Roland Smith, Tom Young, Bill Taylor, Bill Hixon and Kit Spires and Sen. Greg Ryberg. The House votes that Haley monitored included those in the Senate, as well as votes on establishment of a Department of Administration, appointing the superintendent of education, and putting the governor and lieutenant government on the same political ticket.

"I didn't vote any particular way to score high on the report card," said Young. "I did what I thought was best for the state and for my constituents. A few people try to read partisan issues in everything. She (Haley) had her agenda and some people supported many of the votes in that agenda. A few Democrats scored higher than some Republicans."

Haley had promised during the gubernatorial campaign in 2010 that she would hold legislators accountable for her agenda.

"You need to hold legislators' feet to the fire," Haley said during a town hall meeting in Rock Hill Monday.

Smith, the chairman of the Aiken County Legislative Delegation, said he shares Haley's concerns she included in her agenda. Since the superintendent of education currently is a Republican, it's a good time to make that elected position appointive, so as not to kick out a Democrat, Smith said.

Such an action would take the politics out of the department, and so would the creation of a Department of Administration, he said.

"It's incumbent upon us to consolidate agencies and save revenue and stop duplication as much as we can," Smith said.

Taylor appreciates report cards on his performance from every quarter.

"But the most important one is the ballot box from the 40,000 residents I represent," he said. "We had no idea of which of the myriad of bills we would be graded on."

Bill Clyburn wasn't surprised that most of the other delegation members got A's on their report cards. He did vote in support of the governor of some issues, but he also has a constituency in which he has to consider their best interests.

"It's obvious that the public understands this," said Clyburn. "If you're a Republican under a Republican administration, you get a higher mark. If you're a Democrat and don't see it as the administration sees it, you get a lesser grade. That's the way it is."

Before Haley's report card was released Monday, Democratic senators provided one for the governor.

Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg, who got an F from the governor, said Haley received a F as well on issues tied to jobs, honesty, government restructuring and open government. But Hutto also said both report cards are nothing more than "Mickey Mouse theatrics."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Haley to appear in Aiken for town hall meeting

Gov. Nikki Haley will appear at the Municipal Building in Aiken today at 6:30 p.m. for a town hall meeting - one of a series she is conducting throughout the state.

She will discuss the report cards for legislators that were released Monday and also will talk about her legislative agenda for the 2012 session that starts in January.

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