Thank You for Letting Me Serve as Senator of S.C. District 38

Dear Friend:

I have had the great privilege and responsibility of representing you in the SC State Senate. As your Senator I have done my very best to serve you and the State of SC well. 

In a letter dated July 30, 2012, the South Carolina Business & Industry Political Education Committee recognized my voting record as being pro business and job creating.  As stated in the letter:

Your Vote Score for the 2012 Session is 98, which compares favorably to a District Score of 69.02 and a 2011 score of 89.44.  Your 2012 Vote Score is higher than your District Score and you have thus exceeded business and industry expectations. 

Your legislative endeavors have resulted directly in the creation of jobs and a higher standard of living for South Carolinians. (Emphasis added.)

I have followed to the best of my ability the principles I learned long ago when I was a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy: not to lie, cheat or steal;  Esse Non Videri (“To be, Not to Seem”); and “Integrity first. Service above self.  Excellence in all we do.”  My actions have been guided by the scripture in Matthew 16:26: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

It has not always been possible to both maintain my integrity and remain popular with some.  I have always put integrity first,  even when it was unpopular with some that I do so.  As a result, I leave public office with a clear conscience that I have done my best and remained true to my values.

I greatly regret that I will not be able to continue to serve as your Senator. 

I regret especially that, due to my absence, much good will not be accomplished that would be accomplished if I were in the Senate.  My service to you was deeply gratifying. To me the position of Senator was a means of gaining inside access to
government  and of  making government work better for our citizens and State.  When I saw a problem, I tried to fix it, often successfully. 

When appointees (especially Judges) abused their position or the public trust, I worked to replace them, often successfully, with people who would do the job correctly.  While others deceived the public, I did not. I have found it to be difficult, stressful and a great competitive disadvantage, for me to put integrity first while serving day to day, and sometimes competing, with people who do not act with integrity and who put self interest above public interest. 

To address an allegation made during the June 2012 Primary,  before I was elected Senator again in 2008 I began receiving retirement income that I had earned and to which I was entitled due to my previous years of service as an elected Senator during 1988-1997.  While I served as a Senator again during the past four years 2008-2012, I received no direct salary from the Senate but, instead, continued receiving my already existing Senate pension, which last year was less than 12% of my total 2011 gross income.  Again, my Senate pension was received by me instead of, and not in addition to, my receiving a salary as a Senator.  I received no salary during the past four years as a Senator.

Further, before I was elected Senator in 2008, I operated my law practice and other businesses from my home office in Summerville. 

Since becoming Senator in 2008 I have continued to operate out of my home office.  Money paid to legislators by Dorchester County was not to finance an office per se but to defray any expenses (travel, copying, secretarial, etc.) incurred by the legislators while performing legislative service, and was required by state law in lieu of Dorchester County financing an office and staff for Dorchester legislators. 

I urge you to read my previous blog posting “Beware of Legislative Delegation Unity” and the attached “Why I Appealed to the Supreme Court."   Those articles well illustrate the dilemmas faced by me as a legislator doing the right thing among those who are not.

Please be advised that while I will not be your Senator in the near future, my desire to help you and our community continues. 

Therefore, please feel free to contact me if you think I can help you in any way.   Let me know if you desire to be on my e mail distribution list, to receive periodic updates.

My phone numbers are 843-871-1821 and 843-478-7595, and my email is mrose5@sc.rr.com.