The Warren Tompkins Shakedown Is Over …

… AND S.C. TAXPAYERS SAVE $6.3 MILLION AS A RESULT

FITSNews – November 8, 2007 – For the first time in twenty years, the State of South Carolina accepted a competitive bid for a multi-million dollar insurance contract, ending one of the shadiest sweetheart deals in the history of state government – and saving taxpayers an estimated $6.3 million over the next three years in the process.

According to an article in yesterday’s Charleston Business Journal, North Carolina-based Willis Insurance will now assume control over the state’s catastrophic windstorm insurance policy for a flat fee of $415,000 annually – which is $2.1 million less per year than the state was paying a former legislator’s firm with close ties to political consultant Warren Tompkins to do the same work. Except Tompkins’ buddies didn’t actually do the work themselves, they just farmed it out to some company up North and took a cut for being so influential and what not.

The fact that our state wasted tens of millions of dollars over the last two decades on a sweetheart deal like this one is pretty sad (not to mention pretty Boss Hogg-ish) but at least now it’s finally over. Particular credit for the change goes to State Rep. Murrell Smith, who first brought attention to the scam earlier this year, much to Tompkins’ disgust. Gov. Mark Sanford’s GEAR report also endorsed the recommendation in a report issued earlier this summer, which probably didn’t make Tompkins too happy, either.

Incidentally, House Ways & Means Chairman Dan “Egg-tooth” Cooper ended up voting for the proposed change, despite his previous assertions that it was illegal. Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling …