UPDATED – Groseclose Resigns As SC Ports Authority President

Go ahead and chalk another one up for our amazing network of reliable sources.

Seriously, people, with informants like the ones we have, staying ahead of S.C. political news is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Anyway, just as we predicted in our post last week, S.C. State Ports Authority President Bernard Groseclose is out of a job today, according to a press release we just received from the agency.

Current Board of Directors Secretary John Hassell will serve as the interim president until a permanent replacement can be appointed by him and his fellow members.

“The people of South Carolina owe Bernie Groseclose a debt of gratitude for his service to one of our state’s most important economic development engines,” said SPA Chairman David J. Posek. “During his tenure, the port system became one of the most effective and efficient ports authorities in the world. He has led the Authority through some very turbulent times over the years and the board wishes him the best. I am sure he will succeed in his future endeavors.”

Really?

We’re guessing that’s just nice stuff that people feel compelled to say when somebody gets forced out of their job after years of gross incompetence – which, of course, was capped off by the loss of the port’s biggest client.

The truth is that under Bernard Groseclose’s “leadership,” the Port of Charleston’s competitive position has plummeted in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue when the latest container traffic rankings are released toward the end of this month.

South Carolina has also been outflanked by numerous competitors, who have leveraged billions of dollars in private investment to build gleaming new terminals that have created thousands of high-paying jobs.

In fact, only when the Ports Authority was effectively shoved to the sidelines kicking and screaming did our state successfully negotiate a deal with Georgia to construct a new container terminal in Jasper County, one of the most economically-depressed areas of our state.

According to the architect of that deal, S.C. Senator Tom Davis, Groseclose’s departure creates a “critical juncture” at which South Carolina will either “change or continue to watch the world pass us by.”

“We have been warned repeatedly in the past about the dangers of our outdated ‘total state control’ model of port management, and now it’s time to bring that model into the free market economy, as well as the 21st Century,” Davis said. “In leading our state’s negotiations with Georgia to build a bi-state port facility in Jasper County, I saw firsthand the importance of leveraging private capital to expand infrastructure. That’s common sense in any economic climate, but it’s especially critical given the current revenue situation we’re facing.”

Indeed, South Carolina recently shelled out $167 million for a port access road aimed at expanding capacity in Charleston, money it won’t have to play with this year or next year, in all likelihood.

WEB EXTRA:

State Ports Authority Press Release On Groseclose

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