Education:

Mount Zion Elementary School in 1969

Winnsboro High School in 1974

The Citadel in 1979

University of South Carolina School of Law in 1985

Current Employment: Attorney

1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking.

I feel that my legal experience allows me the opportunity to see and know the issues which affect the people of our County and State. I see people on a daily basis who have difficult issues, and I see what can be done to assist with these issues. In addition, the eight years (4 terms) in the South Carolina House of Representatives and four years (1 term) in the South Carolina Senate give me the institutional knowledge and contacts to accomplish things that will benefit the citizens of Senate District 17.

2. What do you feel is the most important aspect of the job?

Being accessible to the people I represent. I am at my office at least ten (10) hours a day and I am available to assist constituents with issues when they stop by the office. In addition, trustworthiness is also just as important. The citizens of House District 41 and Senate District 17 can feel proud and comfortable knowing my votes in the Senate are based on the merits of each issue, and nothing else.

3. What will your number one priority be, if you are elected?

To ensure that Senate District 17 will be represented as well as it can be. It is imperative that Senate District 17 get a fair shake from all aspects of South Carolina government. Equally important is the issue of jobs, jobs and more jobs. I have worked tirelessly to help bring jobs into the area but the economic condition of the economy has made it difficult. I have attempted to get the Fairfield County to approve and implement an economic development plan. I was able to obtain $30,000.00 of the $40,000.00 from Santee Cooper to finance this economic development plan.

4. Why are you running for State Senate?

I am running for the South Carolina Senate for several reasons. The primary reason is that there is nothing more satisfying than helping people navigate their issues through the governmental system or ensure they are treated fairly. A prime example is Chester Wood Products in Chester. They directly employ approximately 450 people and indirectly another 750 employees, those being timber consultants, loggers, or service station employees. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) was in the process of closing down Chester Wood because of a smoke stack/EPA issue. Chester Wood contacted me, and through my assistance and contacts with DHEC, Chester Wood not only stayed open but recently added another forty (40) employees. Another example is a tax bill which I sponsored and lead the fight to pass incentives for data centers to locate in South Carolina. This bill was pushed by Duke Power, Co. because these data centers are clean, high paying jobs and does not require a large amount of money for infrastructure.

5. What is your favorite book and why?

One of my favorite books that I read many years ago has had a lasting impression on me. Plain Speaking, an oral biography of Harry Truman by Merle Miller, outlines President Truman’s humble beginnings in Missouri as a store clerk to U.S. Senator, Vice-President and later President when President Roosevelt died. President Truman made the ultimate decision to drop the hydrogen bomb on Tokyo and Nagasaki, Japan. This was an extremely difficult decision but it ultimately saved thousands of allied lives.

Bob Carrison

Age: 62

Marital Status: Married 28 years

Education: College of Lake County, Certified Avionics Tech. Air University

Current Employment: Information Technology Technician, Fairfield County Government

1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking. I am a USAF Veteran with two combat tours in Southeast Asia. I served four years on the Winnsboro Town Council and was voted Best of the Best Elected Official by the readers of the Herald Independent. I served for four years on the Winnsboro Downtown Development Assn. My wife Kathy and I were Owner/Operators of The News & Herald Tavern for five years, and were honored multiple times for excellence in all facets of our business. While on Town Council, we were able to secure the mineral rights to the Rion Quarry and build the infrastructure to supplement the Winnsboro Reservoir which was crucial in assuring adequate water during our recent drought. I also led the effort to implement the Downtown Streetscape, a facelift that was sorely needed for our main business district. I have years of experience in industrial and retail management and know how to build teams and get things done.

2. What do you feel is the most important aspect of the job? It is said in political circles that the SC Senate is where good bills go to die. Senate rules allow one man to stop virtually any piece of legislation. As Senator, I will work with like minded Senators to change the Rules of the Senate to bring them in line with democratic principles of Equal Representation under the Law. It is crucial that each of us trusts that their representation in the halls of the legislature is honest and in the best interests of the State, the District, and the individual.

3. What will your number one priority be, if you are elected? I think that the number one issue facing the 17th District is economic development, meaning specifically: JOBS! Jobs don’t magically appear. Employers build their businesses where the conditions for success are best. This means a well trained work force is critical to recruitment of job creators. We can either import a work force or train one. My preference would be to train those people who are currently here; however, this will require that our system of education become nimble and responsive. I will author and or support legislation that will lead to a State of the Art education system for our people, young and old alike.

4. Why are you running for State Senate? I am running for Senate because I know I have much to offer in the effort to improve the state of our State. Hard times are upon us and we must lay the groundwork for a successful recovery. These efforts will require someone with a breadth and depth of life experiences and the time to dedicate to the effort. These efforts will take more than someone willing to serve. It will require someone willing to lead, someone unafraid of the challenges facing us for our generation, our children and grandchildren’s generations and those generations yet unborn.

5. What is your favorite book and why? I was asked: What my favorite book is and why. Because I’m particularly fond of Biographical works, and am a history buff, my answer surprised me: “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” as edited by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck’s premise was that the stories are too good not to be shared, but that the original Manchester manuscripts were too difficult for modern English speakers to read. He is right, the stories are wonderful; but equally wonderful is the transformation you, the reader undertake, as by the final chapter, mysteriously, you are reading the Original Old English.