S.C. House 9 James Galyean

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

1. What are the three most pressing needs of your district and how can you help address those needs?

With inflation making our dollars’ worth less every day, one of Anderson’s most pressing needs is economic growth and the infrastructure to support it. If we had a stronger local economy, it would help our communities weather national economic problems better. We are a generation behind our upstate neighbors, at least. That means fewer jobs locally, and lower salaries overall. But we do not want just any economic growth. We need organic growth from our area, not just importing distribution centers and factories from other places. Those facilities are great, and we want them, but ultimately, we need our local businesses to grow and to be successful if we want to see our civic and business culture thrive. The most successful areas of the country are those that have homegrown companies growing and providing all kinds of jobs, with the money staying in the local community.

Another pressing need is continuing to improve our public safety capabilities to match our growing population and, unfortunately, to deal with the increasing illegal immigrant problem. While our first responders do a great job currently, we cannot let them be overwhelmed with future growth. We are seeing the strain that our increasing transient population is placing on our first responders now. That means we need to make significant investments in increasing our infrastructure for firefighting, law enforcement, and medical services now, so our emergency services are not stretched to breaking in the coming years. In the coming years, when we dial 9-1-1, we want someone to answer and send help fast.

The last pressing need I would address is for continued educational improvement - so our children can meet the challenge of global competition in the coming years. We need to provide more options for our students and their families so they can adapt to the changing economic landscape. Flexibility and specialization have to be increased within all of the educational options we have in our area, because that is what our children will need to be successful in their careers. While I am obviously a supporter of charter schools and homeschooling, we also have a number of good public schools in our area, and families need to be able to make the best decision for their family. There is no one answer to improving educational outcomes, we need them all.

2. How would you work with the Anderson County Legislative Delegation to work on these issues?

Each district represents a different aspect of our economic capabilities. One is primarily agricultural, a couple have mostly residential development, and one or two have significant industrial and retail operations contained within them. In the past, the delegation has worked well together to bring economic development and quality of life projects to the county. In the future, I would like to see the delegation work together to advocate for statewide tax and agency reforms that will incentivize small and medium sized businesses, as well as large ones. I think clear communication with the delegation, even if the conversations are hard, if conducted with civility and honesty, will allow the delegation to work together to benefit the county.

With my legal, economic development, and educational experience, I hope to serve as a bridge between the various interests in our delegation. Other delegations from other areas of the state work together well to bring employment, social, and cultural opportunities to their communities. I am confident we can do the same.

3. What are the state’s three most pressing needs moving into 2025?

Economic growth and infrastructure improvements to strengthen our economy against inflation and economic downturns caused by the federal government’s failure to address the challenges we face.

Regulatory and tax reform to provide a level playing field for all of our businesses, large and small. Businesses now spend more on complying with bureaucratic demands than they pay in taxes. Those expenses make South Carolina-based businesses less competitive nationally and globally.

Educational improvement for our next generation. South Carolina needs a Manhattan Project level effort to fix our educational system. Incremental improvements are not sufficient when we are failing so many of our children. We need to make the hard choices to provide quality educational opportunities for our children.

4. What is your approach to working with other house members to achieve the greater good?

Our founders gave us fantastic institutions, but they are only as good as the people who serve in them. The golden rule is as applicable in the South Carolina General Assembly as the rest of society. And, as a Christian, I believe it is required. Sometimes, indeed most of the time, leadership requires treating others better than they deserve, and better than yourself. I may not always live up to that ideal, but that will be my approach.

5. What are three personal or professional qualities that make you the best candidate for this office?

I am the most conservative candidate with the most experience in the things people in District 9 care about. Understanding and influencing laws, regulations, and legislative bills is the job. I’ve spent over 30 years working in one form or another in these areas.

If you are pro-life, I served on the board of our local pregnancy center for years, caring for women and their children. If you care about judicial nominations, I’ve actually worked to get conservatives jurists confirmed. If you are concerned about illegal immigration, I’ve actually deported illegal immigrants as a federal prosecutor. If you are pro-school choice, my work has provided school choice for thousands of families across the state. If you are concerned about out-of-control government spending, I’ve met payrolls and balanced budgets as a businessman. If you want economic development, I’ve overseen projects that have brought millions in private investment to District 9, without government incentives. I haven’t waited to be elected to serve, or just given lip service to these causes, I’ve been working hard for them for my entire adult life.