Paul Tinkler Will Seek Senate 41 Seat

Charleston attorney Paul Tinkler left the Charleston City Council after nine years in 2007.

But with Glenn McConnell exchanging his long-held seat in the S.C. Senate for the Lt. Governor's office, Tinkler is jumping back into politics for a shot at replacing him.

Tinkler was among the first few Charleston County Democrats to file for office on Friday when the two-week window to file opened.

"For many years Sen. McConnell has been in office, and I think he's done an excellent job, but part of his usefulness, I guess, was his seniority," Tinkler said. "I just made the decision that given the circumstances it was time for a fresh perspective."

Tinkler said he as a range of strengths as a candidate including an intimate understanding of the law, having been an attorney for more than 30 years along with an understanding of challenges faced by local governments from his time on City Council.

"I'm knowledgable about the legal system because I've worked in the legal system for 34 years," he said. "So I have a lot of experience and I can help make changes necessary in the legal system."

"The second thing is, with 9 years on the city council I'm very much aware of issues that face municipalities in South Carolina, and so I could address those," he added.

Tinkler said in replacing someone like McConnell, who has served for so long in the same position, he would be bringing in a fresh perspective to the General Assembly. He would also like to see a stronger, more viable Democratic Party in the state.

"Having one party with overwhelming power is not healthy," Tinkler said. "I think what happened with Lt. Gov. Ard is a symptom of a one-party system, and so I would hope that the voters of District 41 would understand that we need both perspectives of Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature."