Stewart Watson, Republican Seeking the S.C. House Dist. 10 Seat
All candidates for the South Carolina House of Representatives seats serving Anderson County were given multiple opportunities to share their positions unedited with voters in The Anderson Observer. Here are the answers from Stewart Watson, Republican Seeking the S.C. House Dist. 10 Seat.
1. Were you in favor of the last-minute redistricting the state to create new voting districts? Explain your support or opposition Although I understand the need for redistricting, doing it in a hasty manner is a recipe for a disastrous situation. The last time redistricting was done it took 9 months. We don't have the proper census data at the present time to fairly redraw district lines. Furthermore, doing this in the middle of an election is unfair to all of the candidates and the voters. If we take our time and gather the necessary data we can redistrict in a fair and equitable manner. Redistrict yes, but not in a rushed and hurried manner.
2. How can the General Assembly work together to meet the challenge of being the nation’s fastest-growing state per capita? I think that both the House and the Senate have to understand that planned, strategic growth is what we need, not unbridled and unchecked development. Passing concurrency legislation is a great first step in ensuring that local jurisdictions can manage their growth in a responsible manner.
3. Can the state keep up with infrastructure to meet this growth without raising taxes? Of course we can. It might take a little belt tightening and eliminating wasteful spending, but planned growth should not exceed our ability to pay for it nor unnecessarily further burden an already burdened taxpayer.
4. Should South Carolina do away with property taxes? Explain your conclusion. Yes. I believe that property taxes are not only unfair but are unconstitutional. Under the current situation, taxpayers own nothing. They are merely renting from the government on a yearly basis. That money could be better spent by the taxpayer to grow their local economies.
5. What can/should state government do to find sufficient funding for road maintenance and repair for both state, county and municipal roads? First, we need to eliminate wasteful spending and funding certain special interest groups. Then the money that is generated through gas tax dollars should be returned to each respective county so that they can decide how best to maintain and repair the county roads. The State should still be responsible for repairing and maintaining state highways.
6. Is South Carolina’s current abortion prohibition enough, too strict, or should it be amended to reject abortions even in the case of rape, incest of threat to the life of the mother? Our current Fetal Heartbeat Bill provides adequate protection for both the unborn child and the mother. Criminalizing women who choose abortion is a step in the wrong direction and places government where it doesn't need to be.
7. What are the three biggest challenges facing your district and the state in the next five years? For my district, I think the largest challenges are managing the growth and ensuring that the infrastructure is keeping pace with that growth. I am including roads, water, sewer, energy, fire/police protection, and education as part of infrastructure. We are the fastest growing area in the state and we are at a crossroads when it comes to balancing growth and infrastructure. A second challenge is providing meaningful tax relief to our citizens. When citizens are allowed to keep more of their money, local economies thrive and grow. A third challenge, which is at the state level, is navigating the massive technological innovations that are getting ready to occur and integrating them into aspects of our daily life. We all know that AI is here and that it's here to stay, but we are only at the very tip of that iceberg. The advancements we are going to witness in the next five years will shake the foundation of virtually everything the state has a hand in. We have to be prepared to deal with that in a very real, meaningful, and practical way.
8. How do you view the balance between state government and local authority in both statute and funding? I believe that many statutes should come from local authorities. The state government may issue guidelines to assist the local governments but because of the vast differences between the various counties/cities in our state, the local governments are in a better position to address those differences. As for funding, the state should allow the local governments to decide how they are going to use state funds. In addition, I am generally opposed to the state passing unfunded mandates as those actions tend to be very burdensome to local governments.
9. What areas need addressing that the General Assembly has not addressed or has put off addressing? One of the areas that we have not addressed very well is mental health care for all of our citizens but particularly veterans. We have been dragging our feet on these issues and it's time to engage in some serious discussion with our health care colleagues about how to provide state of the art mental health care to everyone. It's despicable that 22 veterans nationwide committ suicide daily. It's abhorrent that our children and families are having to wait months to receive much needed mental health care. We can and should do much better on this issue!
10. What is the top priority of an elected official? To represent all members of their constituency fairly and vigorously.
11. What are the keys to working together with other members of the General Assembly to find common ground and pass legislation? One of the main keys is not to become overburdened with what party or caucus a colleague is a member of. Great ideas can come from people with a variety of viewpoints. Dismissing someone's idea solely based on their party or caucus affiliation is not only absurd but short sighted and harmful to your constituency and prevents you from reaching a beneficial conclusion. Pretty much all legislation involves negotiation and compromise and is not a win/lose situation.
12. Do you or any of your family members have business dealings with any agency or organization that receives state funds? If so, please list. No
13. Would you favor financial limits on financial contributions to campaigns? This is my first political campaign so I'm not really sure about this issue yet.
14. How have you been involved in the community (include any charitable/nonprofit work, volunteer efforts, fire service, etc.) and why is this important to you? I have been involved in charitable work since returning here in 2020. Much of my charitable work involves organizing benefits for people with crippling medical expenses and helping them navigate the complex medical treatment maze. I have donated time and food to many charitable organizations. As a restaurant owner, I sponsored dozens of sports teams/youth organizations from our area each year. I currently volunteer my time with various civic organizations.
15. Why are you running for election or reelection for this office? I am running for House District 10 because I believe that we have been poorly represented the past 4 years in Columbia. Our citizens deserve a stronger voice and I hope to be that stronger voice that will bring money and change back to our District. I also believe that some very important issues have gone unaddressed by our current representative and I intend to change that if elected.
16. What are your three favorite things about living and working in South Carolina and particularly your district? My absolute favorite thing about living in S.C. is being near my mom. She is soon to be 84 and it's an absolute blessing to be near her and helping her with whatever she needs. She has been an incredible role model for me and I would do anything to make her life easier. The second thing I like about living here is the people. I love the people of SC, their hearts, and their warmth. And the third thing is just the quality of life. I have traveled all over the United States, Eastern Europe, Mexico, and South America and there is no place I would rather be than right here. We don't have the most things to do, the best restaurants, or anything flashy. But what we do have is charm, friendliness, a slow pace, and beautiful surroundings.
17. If elected/reelected, what legacy do you want to leave for your time in office? The main thing I want people to say about me when I leave office is "That guy fought for us. He was a tiger and worked to do everything he could to make life better for people in his District." If they can honestly say that, then my time will have been well worth it.
