Roasted: Coffee with Larry Hargett

Larry Hargett, running for reelection for Dorchester County Council's District 4, sat down with Patch and concerned voters 4:30 p.m. Thursday at .

Coffee with the Candidates is 4:30 p.m. Thursdays. . 

Here is a recap of Thursday's event with Hargett:

Q: Do you support the earlier this year? 

Staff hasn't brought this before the council to discuss yet and it sounds too good to be true. I haven't done the research on it yet. While I wouldn't vote for it, I'm not opposed to putting it to the people in a referendum to let the voters decide if they want another one-cent sales tax in addition to the roads tax. 

Q: Given that the school district has opposed it, do you support the school choice bill that recently passed the House?

I'm in favor of school choice if it doesn't hurt public schools. I have grandchildren that attend a Dorchester Two school, Beech Hill Elementary. I'm a strong believer in what Superintendent Joe Pye is doing. But there are unintended consequences that need to be looked into with school choice statutes. 

Q: What are your thoughts on selling ?

This is off the table right now. We looked into selling it, and it's a prime piece of real estate given that it's the town's last full city block remaining. But the county still owes $1.5 million on the property. Even selling it at over $4 million wouldn't net enough money for a county services building that could house all of our needs.

Q: What's being done for a new county library?

There is a new library about to be completed in St. George. On this side of the county, the county, the district and the city of North Charleston is working in conjunction to build a hybrid library, EMS services and police substation at the corner of Appian Way and Patriots Boulevard. This project has been fast-tracked and should be completed within two years. 

Q: Isn't the county within its debt limit? How will you pay for future projects like the new library and needed EMS stations?

The county cannot have more debt than 8 percent of property values. , there will be $4 million left over and we could build the new library with room to spare. We have recently built needed EMS stations at The Ponds and in St. George, but we need two more and we will have the ability to pay for those. 

Q: The county has been able to catch up some to the explosive growth given the recession, but what happens when good times resume? Will we be caught behind again? 

I'm in favor of impact fees to deter growth. With any new business or new subdivision, there's going to be an impact. I don't think it's punishing growth at all, but it says if you're going to come into our area, you have to pay for the impact you create. We have a desirable place to live, and this keeps our taxes low. The impact fees were put in effect November 2010 and we've raised possibly $4-5 million. That's not much because building permits are down. That money goes to infrastructure and EMS. 

Q: A campaign issue over the number of take-home county vehicles and personal uses allowed with those vehicle has arisen. What is your position? 

There are 195 take-home vehicles where the employees have gas cards. Their manager allows certain uses, like going to the grocery store. Sheriff L.C. Knight has a majority of those vehicles, but he needs them for when deputies get an emergency call off-duty. We are going to have to review the policy, and Knight will talk Monday with the council in a public discussion. 

Q: Your opponent may not play nice in the primary, how will you respond when things get tough?

I think John (Hull) will be a gentleman. I'm a member of his 9-12 group, and have been for three-and-a-half years. Before that, when there wasn't a 9-12 group here, I was a member of the Charleston 9-12 group. I attended Glenn Beck's rally in Washington, D.C., too. They're all about the lower taxes and less government — and that fits well with my Republican beliefs. Dorchester County has had only one small tax increase since I first took office. That added $30 per year to the average household and it was to pay for firetrucks. 

Q: You've been labeled a moderate by some. How do you respond?

I'm not a moderate. You have to sacrifice some of your conservative beliefs to be a moderate, and I am a conservative. I am somewhere on the spectrum of moderate to ultra conservative. Have you seen the political signs around town? I'm the only one with an elephant on my signs. I'm proud to be a Republican.

To read more about Larry Hargett on Patch, click here.