AGENCY IS HAVING “WORST WEEK EVER”
Palmetto State lawmakers are collecting signatures in an effort to audit the S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA), multiple legislators familiar with the effort tell FITS.
And while these lawmakers say they expect “significant resistance” in their efforts, they are pressing forward regardless.
“Having the request made public would at least put the issue on the front burner,” one of the lawmakers willing to sign the audit told us.
The SCSPA sparked a political firestorm this week when it announced its intention to name a proposed $700 million shipping terminal in honor of sitting S.C. Senate president Hugh Leatherman – the state’s uber-liberal “Godfather of Pork.”
Lawmakers tell FITS they expect Leatherman to aggressively oppose the audit, which – if enough lawmakers ask for it – would be conducted by the S.C. Legislative Audit Council (SCLAC).
“The LAC is already behind in auditing,” one lawmaker told us. “Leatherman could probably stymie the process beyond that.”
The audit could also be opposed by legislators loyal to the neo-Confederate consulting empire of Richard Quinn and Associates, which is reportedly being paid handsomely by the SCSPA.
In addition to the Leatherman controversy, the SCSPA is facing criticism this week that it misled the public (and lawmakers) about the so-called “competitive benefits” of a $300 million dredging project for the Port of Charleston – and that it is continuing to drag its feet on the construction of a long-awaited public-private port in Jasper County, S.C.
11 comments
Come on, experts disagree. Anyone can make a prediction, but no one knows. Nobody has been misled. The Corp of Engineers disagree and your expert as I have shown contradicted himself this year.
This is the legislative version of abuse of process, in order to target a political opponent. No liberty loving citizen should advocate the jack booted thugs of an audit, simply because you got a burr up your butt about Leatherman. Are these legislators so damn stupid as to not be ale to out legislate that old, lame dumb fuck?
There is a long history of hubris, expensive mistakes and wrong-headed decisions taken that have cost the State a massive amount of market share and money.
A LAC audit is called for and will be welcomed by people that care about good government.
Hubris is not a valid reason to undertake a LAC Audit. The call by you and your colleagues for the audit would have far more credibility had it occurred prior to the Leathernam Terminal naming imbroglio. They haven’t spent the money left over from the initial appropriation, merely asking to spend it. I’m not at all thrilled at how you guys get steamrolled, daily, by a brain dead octogenarian imbecile either, and it is not at all clear that the SC Ports Authority is or has been poorly run over its long history.
If you think the LAC audit will be effective, you are naive.
The Ports Authority “hides” money by using law firms. The firms pay all sorts of bills and the amounts are enormous.
If you want a list of the rich, well connected South Carolinians, look at the list of people the law firms are paying. It has them all!
Corrupt Lawmakers? LMAO!!!! Needs to be an independent audit and forensic audit by the DOJ out of DC. Believe me when I say, you will uncover all kinds of felony crimes at the ports.
SCLAC conducted an audit of the SC Ports many years ago. Betcha there’s no change since the last audit. Why fix something if it works fine broken…
Better Idea: Audit every state funded and controlled entity annually. And use a rotating out-of-state 3rd party to do it (to discourage bribery and influence). Add machine learning algorithms to flag suspicious movement of funds. Release every word of it to the voting public and the press online.
Oh how I have been praying for something like this to happen to the Port since Jimmy has taken his place in his so called “Ivory Tower”. This will come as quite a shock to his “I’m Untouchable” mentality.
“Rock The Boat” made an outstanding and wise observation. The audit should be done by an agency completely disconnected from any state interest. The Port has so many “friends in high places”. If they didn’t, why would they do something so blatantly obvious as to attempt to name a new terminal after a politician, well known to dole out state $$$ to those who kneel and pray in front of him (The movie “Deliverance”)?
A friend who works at the Port told me of a questionnaire recently sent out to all employees by the latest consulting group in a quest to try and figure out how to improve and understand the current morale and “culture” of the Port. He and everyone he talked to, put the answer in showing that they were as dissatisfied as you could possibly become. One thing that was told to me about this survey were questions asking comparisons between the Georgia Ports Authority and the SC Ports Authority such as pay scale! WTF!!!
I remember oh so well each time Jimmy returned from a visit to the Georgia Port. WE HAD TO MAKE CHANGES! WE HAD TO BE JUST LIKE THEY ARE!
– Armed Security Guard at the front desk
– Access to the Ivory Tower could only be accessed by scanning your TWIC card.
The list goes on…..
Oh Jimmy! Tell us. What did Catherine Templeton see that caused her to soil her panties and run?? After all, she is an employment attorney. I wonder……………
THE IVORY TOWER IS SHOWING SERIOUS STRUCTURAL FLAWS. MY SUGGESTION TO YOU DEAR JIMMY IS TO WEAR TWO PAIR OF DEPENDS UNDERGARMENTS TO WORK EVERYDAY FROM NOW ON. YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL!