By fitsnews – November 2, 2009
Success has plenty of fathers, according to the old saying … and one of them apparently took the state’s most visible “pro-business” advocate to task for getting ahead of the train … err, plane … on the recently-concluded Boeing deal.
S.C. Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman reportedly blasted S.C. Chamber of Commerce President Otis “Otie” Rawl for public interviews he gave prior to the 3,800-job deal being announced last week.
Last Tuesday, a day before the deal was concluded, Rawl spoke at length about the particulars of South Carolina’s incentive package to the Seattle Times. Those comments reportedly prompting Leatherman to place an angry phone call to William Boyd, the Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
“The Little Digger gave him a big earful,” a source familiar with the conversation tells FITS, calling Leatherman by his famous nickname.
Sources tell FITS that South Carolina’s leaders were given specific instructions not to discuss the specifics of the incentive package in the days leading up to the deal. They were also told not to discuss the role of unions in the negotiating process after the deal was concluded.
