Jim Rex

Originally published on SC NOW.com.
By: Dr. Paul DeMarco

Seeing a political candidate up close is an important part of how I vote.  Whenever possible, I try to see candidates in person; nothing replaces the intuition I get being in the same room.

John Edwards radiated confidence to the point of cockiness; Joe Biden can be verbose and overeager.  When I met Barack Obama at the 2007 South Carolina Jefferson-Jackson Dinner he radiated …well, fa-tigue. He spoke well, but when I approached him at his table during dinner (this was before he had Se-cret Service protection) he looked beat. However, he managed a smile and we engaged in a short con-versation about health care reform.

In those few seconds, I managed to gather that this was a serious, substantial candidate who had a grasp on the issues I cared about.

I’ve had the privilege of being in the same room with S.C. Superintendent of Education Jim Rex on multi-ple occasions. Each time I’ve come away with the same impression: this is a man who cares about our state and who has the experience and talents to move us forward.

I first met him at the 2006 Galivants Ferry stump meeting when he ran for State Superintendent of Edu-cation.  He was one of the last to speak and by the time he rose to the outdoor podium (on the steps of the country store) it was dark and the crowd had thinned, but he was undeterred. On the way to the lectern, he asked Inez Tenenbaum, then the current state superintendent, for one of her shoes. Based on her reaction, this wasn’t staged.  He held up the tiny pump (Inez is a petite woman) and quipped, “These are going to be some big shoes to fill!”

That interaction and others like it have convinced me that Rex is a decent, likeable human being who is less concerned about personal gain, party affiliation, or power than he is about the future of our state.  He has been a solid superintendent, guiding the state through a difficult period. Despite the Department of Education’s budget being cut by 20 percent during his term, our schools have improved SAT scores and increased on-time graduation rates faster than any state in the nation.

In my book, his biggest accomplishment was his defeat of the pro-voucher forces. Rather than playing defense, he created a public school choice program that took the wind from the sails of those who hoped to divert public money to private schools.

The Rex school choice program promotes alternatives such as charter schools, magnet schools, single-gender programs, and Montessori schools within the public school system.

His current proposal to raise the cigarette tax to the national average (from 7 cents to $1.34) is an illus-tration of his willingness to take tough stands on difficult issues. Contrast this with one of the Republican front-runners, Henry McMaster, who recently vowed that he would not raise the tax under any circum-stances.

Nobody likes new or higher taxes, but this is a move that 74% of South Carolinians said they supported in a 2008 poll.

Also Rex’s plan to split the money between health care and education makes eminent sense. Part of the money would be used in the short term to prevent further cuts in education. In the future, when educa-tion funding is restored, then all the proceeds will go to health care.

In 2008, the General Assembly passed a 50-cent cigarette tax increase, but the governor vetoed it. Rex has faced some legitimate criticism for deciding to run for governor. Why, some have asked, would he give up a likely win in a second race for superintendent for a crowded and uncertain race for governor? Mark

Sanford’s veto of the cigarette tax and Henry McMaster’s vow to do the same are the answer.

Swimming upstream in an administration that doesn’t believe in public education has frustrated Rex.  But with Rex as governor, public education will once again assume its place as the paramount issue.

But don’t just take my word on it.  Jim Rex is coming to Marion on March the 9.  Come and see for yourself.  For details, go to jimrex.com and click “Events” or contact me at pvdemarco@bellsouth.net.