Rose Dubbed 'Taxpayer Hero'

Conservative political action committee S.C. Club for Growth has named 43 state legislators "Taxpayer Heroes," including Summerville's Sen. Mike Rose.

Eight state senators and 35 state representatives made the list. Rose, R-Dorchester, is the only legislator from the Summerville area to make the Taxpayer Hero designation. Heroes received an A or B from the organization for their voting record.

The same organization listed 101 "Taxpayer Nightmares," which included Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Berkeley, who represents portions of Summerville; Rep. Jenny Horne, R-Dorchester; and Rep. Patsy Knight, D-Dorchester. Taxpayer Nightmares are those who received a D or F for their voting record.

Rep. Joe Daning, R-Berkeley, who also represents portions of Summerville, and Rep. Chris Murphy, R-Dorchester, both received a C for their voting records. 

The designations were released on Nov. 30.

Scorecard ratings (here) are based on 38 pro-growth and government reform votes taken since January 2011. The House of Representatives had 16 scored votes and the Senate had 12. The votes scored were taken from the best version of the bill or from an amendment that would have strengthened the bill. Scores are given on a scale of 0 to 100 with each vote assigned a certain number of points, depending on its relative importance to the organization. 

"The scorecards are a valuable tool for Club for Growth members and South Carolina voters," Club Chairman Bill McAfee said. "Taxpayers … can’t watch every vote on every bill, but this scorecard gives them the opportunity to see if their legislator is just giving them lip service or really fighting for good government and pro-growth legislation."

All of the Summerville legislators are up for reelection in 2012.

Club for Growth 'Fast Facts'

• 18 Republican Representatives and 16 Republican Senators earned Taxpayer Nightmare awards for earning a D or F.
• 48 Democrat Representatives and 19 Democrat Senators earned Taxpayer Nightmare awards.
• In the Senate, the average Democrat score was 12.6 out of 100, and the average Republican score was 52.2 out of 100.
• In the House, the average Democrat score was 13.3, and the average Republican score was 65.7.