Sanford Appointee Endorsed Controversial Pay Hikes

FORMER CLUB FOR GROWTH ADVISOR, REFORM SC DONOR SIGNED OFF ON TOAL REPORT

FITSNews – February 6, 2008 – One of S.C. Governor Mark Sanford’s closest ideological allies (and a contributor to his Reform SC organization) signed off on a controversial report that would give hundreds of South Carolina politicians – including Sanford – huge pay raises at a time when the state’s income levels and job growth remain stagnant.

Former Club for Growth advisor Mallory Factor, who is former Chairman of the now-defunct Free Enterprise Fund (a conservative Washington D.C. advocacy group) as well as a close friend of Sanford advisor Jon Lerner, was one of the governor’s appointments to the committee led by S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal.

In a story that broke yesterday morning exclusively on FITSNews (but has since been picked up by the Associated Press and the Charleston Post and Courier), Toal’s committee proposed huge legislative, executive and judicial pay raises, including a 53% raise for legislators, a 47% raise for Democratic Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, a 41% raise for Sanford and a 20% raise for the Chief Justice herself.

Toal’s raise, incidentally, was more than twice the percentage increase recommended for Associate Justices and nearly four times the percentage increase recommended for Family Court and Trial Court Judges.

Sanford’s office refused to provide FITSNews with any additional information about the governor’s appointments to the committee, and declined to comment for any of our stories.

The recommendations were also endorsed by State Sen. Jim Ritchie and House Speaker Pro Tempore Doug Smith.

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