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South Carolina senator Matt Leber has sent a letter to Charleston County council members demanding the removal of recalcitrant library board members who refuse to be sworn into office by taking an oath to the state’s constitution.
Eight of the eleven trustees appointed by council have refused to take the constitutionally required oath, while only two appointees, Graham Horsman and Alessa Bertoluzzi, followed the constitutional mandate.
Article Six, Section Five of the South Carolina Constitution plainly states that “the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and all other officers of the State and its political subdivisions, before entering upon the duties of their respective offices, shall take and subscribe the oath of office as prescribed in section 5 of this article.”
The constitutionally mandated oath reads as follows:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified, according of the Constitution of this State, to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been elected, (or appointed), and that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States. So help me God.
ARTICLE SIX, SECTION V – S.C. CONSTITUTION
Despite the state’s constitution making it crystal-clear that all political appointees must take the oath, Leber solicited an advisory opinion from the office of South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson to make absolutely sure.
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In its advisory opinion (.pdf), Wilson’s office concluded that “members of the Charleston County Public Library Board of Trustees are offices within the meaning of Article Six, Section Four of the South Carolina Constitution. They are therefore required to take the oath of office prescribed in Article Six, Section Five of the South Carolina Constitution.”
According to Leber’s letter (.pdf), Charleston County library chair Rob Byko “refuses to recognize the Attorney General’s opinion, dismissing it as a ‘piece of paper’ and claiming that it does ‘not rise to the level of being on the agenda.'”
“Shockingly,” the letter continues, “other members of the Charleston County Library Board expressed profound disdain and even outright disgust towards the Constitution, drafting up their own “pledge” that better fits their political ideology.”
Leber opined that “taking an oath to the Constitution should not be controversial.”
“To the contrary, it is what unifies us as Americans and as South Carolinians,” he wrote.
Leber concluded his letter with a call for the swift removal of the illegally operating board members.
“I now call upon the Charleston County Council to remedy this situation by the removal of the offending trustees,” he said.
Leber is expected to address the issue from the well of the S.C. Senate later this afternoon (March 4, 2025).
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THE LETTER…
(S.C. Senate)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Via: Travis Bell)
Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.
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5 comments
The public at large has no idea just how rogue and lawless this library system has become. From promoting and hosting drag queen hours for children, aiding and abetting illegal aliens, to staff employees at libraries even spying on and slandering library patrons … sneaking up behind them to peek at what they are looking at on their phones and notebooks – taking photos of their screens, all without permission.
Have witnessed it and experienced it, too. Caught library worker at it. I was researching case law the last time when it happened. Sick of these disrespecting people.
House cleaning is needed. And the people refusing to be put under oath says it all Fire them NOW. They can never be trusted at all.
Sheeshus!!
Fooking communist. Is this behavior in anyway shape or form a criminal violation? Are they getting paid with benefits, too?
If one cannot obey rules prior to becoming a paid employee working for the people of SC, what chance do we have that the public will be well served once they are in their position. Let them go find other, non taxpayer funded employment where they can do as they please. They will certainly enjoy it better.
Charleston (and to some degree DityMyrtle) is rapidly becoming a deep blue bastion with all the associated theatrics. It’s been a liberal base for some time but now it’s just becoming painful to watch. I sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t be best just to let “the Holy city” contiue to sink until it becomes uninhabitable.
Charleston County Council must be held responsible for once! Maybe we luck up and a few fall with the corruption in North Charleston.