The fact that the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating yet another corruption charge in Anderson County shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed politics in this backwards, backwoods “Land That Time Forgot.”
Under the rule of S.C. House Ways & Means Chairman Dan Cooper and the rest of the Manse Jolly Admiration Society, scandals in Anderson are as regular as an adult with plenty of fiber in their diet.
But they sure get plenty of S.C. tax money for balloon festivals and the like.
We’ve got rampant homo love at a secluded lakefront park (where one of Chairman Cooper’s “best friends” was recently arrested for solicitation), butt-ball in public schools, Confederate cronyism … you name it.
And sadly, the few people in Anderson who are able to read have to get their news from the Tin Foil Hat Times (a.k.a. the Anderson Independent-Mail), a “news outlet” that we’re not only beating when it comes to local scoops, but Internet traffic as well.
Yeah, boyee.
Anyway, now that we’ve shown you “how we roll,” we can tell you that the latest scandal in Anderson involves a county council member who allegedly forced taxpayers to pick up the tab for his personal legal fees.
Former S.C. Senator Bob Waldrep, who is currently serving as a County Councilman in Anderson, is alleged to have submitted a fraudulent legal bill to county administrators – which was then reportedly paid with taxpayer money.
Obviously, that’s a big no-no – and our sources tell us that the scandal involving this bill is just the tip of a much larger iceberg that goes to the very foundation of the county’s “economic development” efforts (such as they are).
There’s supposed to be a big article on this investigation in the Tin Foil Hat Times any day now, so we’ll obviously be looking for that story as we keep you updated on what we’re hearing as well …
By Calhoun Fawls July 23, 2009 at 4:48 am
There is a mess in Anderson county. The past council, the current council, it all stinks. Who knows where it ends. It is sad, because the people in Anderson County are not a bunch of morons. They are good people. They just have a Georgia styled local government.
By Barney Fife July 23, 2009 at 8:41 am
old news. What is up with re-hashing something that happened months ago. this is a legal bill that was submitted after council approval. He was sued personally as a council member. The lawyer that sued him is a boneheaded idiot.
By StupidShouldHurtMore (SSHM) July 23, 2009 at 8:55 am
Then there are the violations of Home Rule by the current council . . .
Coming soon, I suppose.
- SSHM
By StupidShouldHurtMore (SSHM) July 23, 2009 at 9:10 am
Oh … and to give you an idea as to how bright our elected officials are in Anderson …
Council Chairman Halts Plug-Ins To Electrical Outlets At Meetings
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/jul/22/council-chairman-halts-plug-ins-electrical-outlets/
… he is an engineer for Fluor. Scared?
- SSHM
By 1+1=3 July 23, 2009 at 10:07 am
The fact that the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating….
anything is a joke after their “thorough” job on Sanford
By anonymous July 23, 2009 at 11:54 am
Solicitor Duffie Stone investigates Elizabeth Smith Clerk of Court, Beaufort, SC
The Beaufort County Clerk of Court’s office(Clerk of Court Elizabeth Smith) is being investigated by the S.C. Ethics Commission, and 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said he will review the commission’s findings for possible criminal wrongdoing.
Stone said he has been briefed regularly for “several weeks” by Ethics Commission investigators…
“We’re still gathering information.”
Herb Hayden, executive director of the Ethics Commission, said investigators forwarded the information to prosecutors because information had “possible criminal elements.” It is the policy of the Ethics Commission not to comment on or even acknowledge the existence of ongoing investigations unless probable cause is found, according to Cathy Hazlewood, the commission’s general counsel.
The ethics investigation became public Wednesday after the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office released an incident report detailing a complaint by deputy Beaufort County Clerk of Court Janice Young against the husband of Beaufort County Clerk of Court Elizabeth Smith. Young said Beaufort County Drug Court Judge Manning Smith threatened her during a phone call June 16.
According to the incident report, Young told deputies that Manning Smith was upset Young had shared with County Finance Director David Starkey financial information regarding an Ethics Commission investigation into the Clerk’s Office.
The report said Young indicated in a meeting with Starkey and Deputy County Administrator Bryan Hill “that activity in the ‘bondsmen account,’ specifically in the month of March 2009 should be reviewed thoroughly” as part of the Ethics Commission’s investigation.
Young had shared the “bondsmen” bank statement with the county in “an attempt to reconcile every bank statement held by the county on a month basis,”…
Elizabeth Smith and Young worked together for more than two years, according to Suzanne Larson, county spokeswoman. Young’s last day at the courthouse was July 10, Larson said. Elizabeth Smith would not say if Young quit or was fired.
According to the sheriff’s incident report, Young said Manning Smith told her “handing your boss over was like me saying, ‘I’m going to murder you, Janice, shoot you in the head and spatter your brains all over the sidewalk.’”
Manning Smith told sheriff’s investigators that his comment might have been misconstrued, adding that he “often speaks in analogies of violence,” according to the report.
The threats caused Young such concern, according to the report, that she changed the locks of her home, slept with a gun and put a chair against her bedroom door.
“This guy is a good shot,” Young said of Manning Smith in the report. “He’s an excellent shot and he knows that I know that.”
Smith acknowledged that he was a “superb” pistol shot in interviews with deputies but said he considered Young to be family.
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/912843.html
By OhBoy July 23, 2009 at 4:36 pm
So… How is this any different than the scalawag Cromartie in Columbia having his past due property taxes on all of his crack houses being paid for/by his constituents/church congregation?
By truthbetold July 24, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Sled should be investigating Charleston County’s family court.