Double Standard On State Ethics Fines?
South Carolina’s State Ethics Commission has assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of late fees – much of it to black candidates in low income areas of the state – but it may have let a white state agency head “backdate” his paperwork in order to avoid having to pay these same charges.
Sources tell FITS that former Secretary of State Jim Miles – who is currently serving as the Director of the S.C. Office on Aging – did not file a financial declaration as required by law when he assumed control of that agency last year.
These sources also tell FITS that S.C. Ethics Commission Attorney Cathy Hazelwood may have permitted Miles to “backdate” one of his forms, or affix a prior date so as to make it appear that the document had been filed in a timely fashion.
That alleged assistance could gotten Miles out of as much as $10,000 in fines dating back to August of last year – which is quite a contrast to the harsh treatment the agency has doled out to others.
“If they did that it’s totally not right,” Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Leon Howard told FITS. “That’s favoritism.”
Late fines levied by the Ethics Commission became a point of contention when it was revealed by the Post and Courier earlier this week that several small town officials (most of them black) were being charged exorbitant, six figure fees for failing to file certain documents on time.
In one case, the Commission was garnishing the wages of a delinquent filer in the amount of $10,000 over a period of two years.
“That’s like giving someone a life sentence for running a stop sign,” Howard said. “I stand by credibility and responsibility in this process, but there needs to be an ending point to these fines.”
Howard said lawmakers might even look at amending the fine structure this legislative session.
“That may be something the state legislature needs to revisit as it relates to ethics law because these fines are ridiculous, they’re too much.”
Developing …
Comments
By P Branton on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Mark needs to fire someone……
As per the POST…
http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/jan/22/sanford_commission_supply_data_or_be_fired/#comments
…bring the HAMMER down…..MARK!!
This article should be in every PAPER….statewide !!
By ralph on January 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Miles is the Chief of Staff for Lt. Governor Bauer. The Director of the Office on Aging reports to Miles.
By Colonel Moultrie & Senator Thurmond Say on January 22nd, 2009 at 4:48 pm
This bird chirps for seed or shuts up when fed the seed?
By Colonel Moultrie & Senator Thurmond Say on January 22nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
We attended school in MO. The Show Me State…
By Mab on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Thanks for posting the link, Philip. P & C has put the article to a no-comments-type/AP posting, looks to me like.
By Mab on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Uh — guess the article is back out front now — and no one cares as long as they get their handout.
By Ron on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Jim Miles/ Andre Bauer spent their agency into a deep hole running a campaign for governor using government money. Some insiders think they will have to have special relief from the General Assembly to get out of it. The question is, will the General Assembly finance Bauer’s campaign or hang him out to dry. It appears Ethics is already helping the bauer campaign…
By Karen on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Nice…fining black and small time politicians while letting rich white guys go…nice, very nice. I hope the Black Caucus raises hell and we get some reform at the worthless Ethics Commission.
By Karen on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:57 pm
One more thing…
Hazelwood is a lawyer. Miles is a lawyer. Is backdating a state form in an effort to evade a large fine illegal? Unethical?
By BIN News Editorial Staff on January 22nd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
There you go, again!
sic(k) willie attacking a responsible honest SC employee based on unnamed wacko sources. Like the wacko sources who clued him to the Midlands’ elected official he claims has a Strom problem or the wackos who paid him to post that the gub’ner paid off the family of a “poor little black girl” in Beaufort.
sic(k) willie, we know Ms. Hazelwood. She has more integrity in her toenail clippings than you have ever seen in your life.
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced
By Frank Adams on January 23rd, 2009 at 9:11 am
For the record, due to Lt. Governor Bauer’s continuing excellent fiscal stewardship, the Lt. Governor’s Office ended FY 2007-08 on June 30th with a carry forward balance of $404,000 — which, together with all state agencies, was ordered lapsed into the General Fund. This is factual and is entirely at odds with the earlier assertion that the agency had “spent a deep hole.”
For the record, James M. Miles is not the director of the Office on Aging. Rather, he is the chief of staff to Lt. Governor Andre Bauer. For the record, Tony Kester is the interim director of the Office on Aging within the Lt. Governor’s Office.
Using facts, rather than hyperbole and wild accusations, makes for duller blog reports and comments. Using facts is much more reflective of reality — albeit admittedly much more boring and thus far less entertaining.
By Harold on January 23rd, 2009 at 6:35 pm
“Lt. Governor Bauer’s continuing excellent fiscal stewardship”
hahahahhahahahahahahaha, hehehehheheheheheheheh, hahahahahahahaah
ooooo, thats funny.
Thanks
By Rick on January 24th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Karen: As attorneys, Hazelwood and Miles would have to be complained about in writing to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel for anyone to review their alleged unethical behavior. Search this site for stories published about that little Queen Jean committee. Being politicians, the chief justice has the option of doing to them what she did to Attorney General McMaster on finding his office was “incompetent.” Bring them into her office privately and tell them, “now children, don’t do that any more.” The CJ will then own them. I dealt with Hazelwood a couple of years ago. Nice enough. Means well. Got a good state retirement plan going on. However, she’s just a puppet. See Toal on McMaster, wwwfitnews.com. January 12, 2009.
By The Conservativist on May 28th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I happened to see this article today and it reminded me of a similar case we reported on with Rep. Harold Mitchell in Spartanburg 31.
http://theconservativist.com/2008/09/26/questionable-activities-in-the-sc-house-ethics-committee/
By Silence Dogood, Jr. on June 27th, 2009 at 10:44 am
S.C. Ethics Commission Attorney Cathy Hazelwood is assigned by the SC Attorney Generals Office to Mr. Haydens SC State Ethics Commission, she answers to Mr. McMaster, like Mr. McMaster, she from Florence, SC, buds. I could be wrong, someone look into this for me.
Mr. Dogood, Jr.
Here is Mr. Jim Miles 2008 Statement of Economic Interest Report, for those interested.
Statement of Economic Interests Report
Name: James Melvin Miles
Year: 2008
Filing Date: 8/15/2008
Version: Original
Demographic Information
Name: James Melvin Miles, Esq.
Address: **** marion st columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 864.344.6***
County: Richland
Position/Title: Chief Administrative Official
Entity: Lieutenant Governor
Type: Employee
Term of Office:
Date Filed:
Income and Benefits
*** Filer does not have any personal income and benefit items to disclose. ***
Family Income and Benefits
*** Filer does not have any family income and benefit items to disclose. ***
Regulated Business Associations
*** Filer does not have any regulated business items to disclose. ***
Real or Personal Property Interests
*** Filer does not have any property interest items to disclose. ***
Real or Personal Property Interests II
*** Filer does not have any sold, leased, or rented property interest items to disclose. ***
Business Interests
*** Filer does not have any business interest items to disclose. ***
Creditors
*** Filer does not have any creditor items to disclose. ***
Lobbyist/Lobbyist’s Principal
*** Filer does not have any Lobbyist/Lobbyist’s principal items to disclose. ***
Government Contracts
*** Filer does not have any government contract items to disclose. ***
Gifts
*** Filer does not have any gift items to disclose. ***
Travel Reimbursement
*** Filer does not have any travel items to disclose. ***